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COAT-OF-ARMS OF THE GOXZAGA FAMII.V 



Gonzaga College 



AN 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



From its Foundation in 1821 
to the Solemn Celebration of 
its First Centenary in 1921 



-.<>. 



WASHINGTON 

PUBLISHED BY THE COLLEGE 

1922 









NATIONAL CAPITAL PRESS. INC., WASHINGTON, D. C. 



M. ffl. JB. ©. 

JEo ti)t mumni 

of 
(©on^aga College 



PREFACE 

To First Edition 



The Diamond Jubilee of Gonzaga College marks 
an epoch in its career. It brings the institution 
prominently before the eyes of the world, and gives a 
right to all men to know something of its record in the 
past. Again, in this our world of ever-recurring 
excitement, where the interest evoked by any event 
is so soon dispelled by a succeeding one, unless some 
means be taken to perpetuate the memory of an 
occurrence that may have been a cause of rejoicing 
to many while it lasted, it will quickly have escaped 
from mind and become lost in the whirl of passing 
years. For these reasons it was determined to issue 
the following Historical Sketch of Gonzaga College, 
to serve as a source of information to those whose 
interest in the College may have been awakened to 
the extent of urging them to inquire into its inception 
and progress, and as a memorial volume to others 
who may have participated in or witnessed the sol- 
emn functions of the Jubilee. Moreover, it would 
savor of injustice to omit to record in some enduring 
manner the names and the deeds of those of the past 
who, by their devotedness and self-sacrifice, by their 
generous struggles in the midst of countless difficul- 
ties, have carried on the work through years of 
obscure but efficient labor and have made possible 
the joy and the glory of the present. 

The work has been designedly called a Sketch, 
for owing to the scarcity of material concerning 

7 



8 PREFACE 

many years of the existence of the College but little 
more than a brief outline of such portions has been 
possible. Should the observant reader notice the 
variety of style that may be found in the following 
pages, it may be said in explanation that several 
writers have been engaged in their compilation. The 
work was done by men already for the most part 
burdened by multifarious duties. Begun by Rev. 
John A. Conway, S. J., now Vice-President of George- 
town College, it was continued by Rev. Owen A. Hill, 
S. J., Vice-President of St. Peter's College, Jersey 
City, N. J., and completed and reviewed by Rev. 
Edmund J. Burke, S. J., while Rev. John M. Colgan, 
S. J., supplied the chapter on Rev. Father Fulton. 
Acknowledgments are due to Rev. James F. X. 
Mulvaney, S. J., assistant pastor of Trinity Church, 
Washington, D. C, whose prophetic spirit in years 
past led him to collect much of the material that has 
entered into this history ; to Mr. George L. Coyle, S.J., 
and others whose kind help and suggestions have con- 
tributed much towards the completion of the work. 
Gonzaga College, 
October, 1897. 



PREFACE 

To Centennial Volume 



The march of years has brought Gonzaga College 
to the century mark. Founded and opened on F 
Street, September 8, 1821, she maintained herself 
with credit all through the vicissitudes of a hundred 
years, and today she ranks as one of the leading 
educational institutions in Washington. In Novem- 
ber, 1896, she kept with great ceremony and lavish 
display the Diamond Jubilee of her honorable exist- 
ence, and on that occasion she gave to the public a 
history of her achievements between the years 1821 
and 1896. It is our purpose to carry this account 
of her doings down to the present date, 1921; and 
we bespeak for our poor effort the indulgence of our 
readers. 

Rev. Owen A. Hill, S. J., 

Gonzaga College, 
December, 1921. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Dedication 5 

Preface _ 7 

Chapter I 
Rev. Anthony Kohlmann, S. J. (1821-1824) 17 

Chapter II 
Rev. Adam Marshall, S. J. (1824-1825) 27 

Chapter III 
Rev. Jeremiah Keiley, S. J. (1826-1827) 33 

Chapter IV 
Rev. John E. Blox, S. J. (1848-1851) 40 

Chapter V 
Rev. Samuel Barber, S. J. (1851-1854) 49 

Chapter VI 
Rev. Hippolyte J. de Neckere, S. J. (1854-1857) 54 

Chapter VII 
Rev. Burchard Villiger, S. J. (1857-1858) 58 

Chapter VIII 
Rev. Charles H. Stonestreet, S. J. (1858-1860) 61 

Chapter IX 
Rev. Wm. Francis Clarke, S. J. (1860-1861) 73 

Chapter X 
Rev. Bernardin F. Wiget, S. J. (1861-1868) 77 

Chapter XI 
Rev. James Clark, S. J. (1868-1874) 88 

Chapter XII 

Rev. Charles K. Jenkins, S. J. (1874-1881) 97 

11 



1 2 CONTENTS 

Chapter XIII 
Rev. Robert Fulton, S. J. (1881-1882) 102 

Chapter XIV 
Rev. John J. Murphy, S. J. (1882-1885) Ill 

Chapter XV 
Rev. Edward A. McGurk, S. J. (1885-1890) 119 

Chapter XVI 
Rev. Cornelius Gillespie, S. J. (1890-1898) 130 

Chapter XVII 
Rev. John F. Galligan, S. J. (1898-1899) 166 

Chapter XVIII 
Rev. Edward X. Fink, S. J. (1899-1907) 174 

Chapter XIX 
Rev. Joseph J. Himmel, S. J. (1907-1908) 201 

Chapter XX 
Rev. Charles W. Lyons, S. J. (1908-1909) 210 

Chapter XXI 
Rev. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, S. J. (1909-1915) 215 

Chapter XXII 
Rev. Francis P. Donnelly, S. J. (1915-1916) 255 

Chapter XXIII 
Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J. (1916- ) 260 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Coat of Arms of the Gonzaga Family Frontispiece 

Gonzaga College To-day 16 

Original Gonzaga College, 1821-1871 19 

Rev. John E. Blox, S. J 41 

Rev. Burchard Villiger, S. J 59 

Rev. Charles H. Stonestreet, S. J 63 

St. Aloysius' Church 69 

Rev. Wm. Francis Clarke, S. J 75 

Rev. Daniel Lynch, S. J 75 

Rev. James A. Ward, S.J 75 

Rev. Bernardin F. Wiget, S. J 79 

Rev. James Clark, S. J 89 

Gonzaga College, 1871-1913 93 

Rev. Charles K. Jenkins. S. J 99 

Rev. Robert Fulton, S. J 103 

Rev. John J. Murphy, S. J 113 

Rev. Edward A. McGurk, S. J 121 

Rev. Cornelius Gillespie, S.J 131 

Officers and Faculty, 1896-97 149 

Rev. John F. Galligan, S. J 167 

Rev. Edward X. Fink, S. J 175 

Rev. Charles W. Lyons, S. J 211 

Rev. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, S. J 217 

Golden Jubilee of St. Aloysius' Church 223 

Rev. Joseph J. Himmel, S. J 253 

Rev. Francis P. Donnelly, S. J 257 

Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J 261 

First Night of the First Campaign 265 

Last Night of the Second Campaign 279 

Girls' School with Boys' School to Left 291 

13 



14 ILLUSTRATIONS 

Gonzaga Community, 1921-1922 303 

Third Sunday Brigade 331 

Cadet Battalion, 1921-1922 3i3 

Centennial Banquet 381 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA 
COLLEGE 

1821-1921 

CHAPTER I 
Rev. Anthony Kohlmann, S. J. (1821-1824) 

THE history of Gonzaga College is identified 
with the history of the National Capital. 
There are many institutions of learning now 
included within the lines of the city which George 
Washington marked out to bear his name, but 
Gonzaga College has the proud distinction of being 
the oldest college in the city. This is its first claim 
to general interest. And when, in future years, Wash- 
ington will be a great seat of learning, as it is bound 
to be, with its schools consolidated and its libraries 
purified of their dross, the historian who writes of the 
city's educational life will be constrained to begin 
with the not inglorious record of Gonzaga College, 
upon the muster roll of which are found the names of 
those who, like the illustrious citizens of ancient 
Rome,' have deserved well of the Republic. Hardly, 
then, can we seem to be extravagant in claiming that 
the name of Gonzaga College is eternal, intimately 
bound up, as it is, with the early history of Washing- 
ton. For this reason, then, even if for no other, 
Gonzaga College should excite the loyal interest of 
every citizen. 

On the hill of the Capitol in Rome, even to this 
day, visitors will find the wolf to remind its citizens 
of how the gods interfered to effect the foundation 

17 



1 8 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

of the world's mistress. So, when in future years, 
Macaulay's New Zealander finishes his sad inspection 
of London Bridge and his sketch of the ruins of St. 
Paul's, he may gaze with reverent attention upon 
the ruins of Gonzaga College, as the modest begin- 
nings of Washington's intellectual greatness. No 
apology, then, is needed for reminding the people of 
Washington of an institution inseparably connected 
with the city's foundation and growth. 

Toward the close of the year 1896 Gonzaga Col- 
lege celebrated its Diamond Jubilee, or the 75th year 
of its existence, which would indicate its foundation 
to have taken place in 1821. However sensitive 
individuals may be about any addition to their years, 
every extra year which an institution can lay claim 
to is considered an extra link in the golden chain of 
its prosperity, and on consulting its records we find 
that Gonzaga College is older, by some years, than 
its admirers estimated. For Father Grassi, who had 
been Superior of the Jesuits in Maryland, writing 
from Italy, in 1819, mentions the building of the 
"Old Seminary," as it was called, as already com- 
pleted at that time. He writes: "In the new city of 
Washington there is a large congregation, but only 
one priest, who officiates at St. Patrick's Church, 
close to which the Jesuits have put up a house des- 
tined for the education of youth." It may be 
doubted if the house of which Father Grassi speaks 
was originally destined for the education of youth; 
this destination seems to have been rather an after- 
thought, when the building was found to be unsuited 
for its first destination. As far as we have been able 
to make out, the first purpose for which the building 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 2 1 

was erected was to serve as a novitiate for the train- 
ing of those who wished to enroll themselves in the 
restored Society of Jesus. Only a few years before, 
the Society of Jesus, after thirty years of suppression, 
had been re-established, and Maryland, where its 
sons had labored from the disembarking of the first 
colonists, was one of the first lands to welcome it and 
foster it into renewed life. 

In 1819, when the letter of Father Grassi was 
written, there were several smaller houses of the 
renascent order scattered over Maryland and the 
adjoining States, but Georgetown College was the 
only house containing what might be justly termed 
a religious community. A few years before it had 
been empowered by Congress to confer collegiate 
degrees, but within its narrow limits (the small 
center building on the south side still standing)* 
there was a novitiate for the formation of the young 
religious, a scholasticate for the higher education of 
the students of the Society, and an academic de- 
partment for the training of secular youth. Thus 
the small building, which then constituted George- 
town College, was overcrowded, and a division of 
space was needed where interests were already so 
much divided. This brought about the erection of 
the building adjoining St. Patrick's, which was 
intended as a novitiate to lighten the strain upon 
Georgetown College. 

It is not many years since the "new building," 
of which Father Grassi wrote, disappeared from F 
street, between 9th and 10th N.W. It had long 
been a landmark in Washington, by which the city's 



* Later replaced by Ryan Hall. 



2 2 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

progress could be measured. An unpretentious struc- 
ture it was, as it may still be remembered by the 
younger generation of Washingtonians, though, no 
doubt, it was looked upon in those early days as 
quite palatial in its dimensions; in fact, Father 
Charles Neale describes it, in one of his letters, "as 
a large, commodious building." Built as a novitiate, 
it was never used for that purpose; indeed, for a year 
or two, it remained untenanted, perhaps to allow its 
walls to dry and to settle, or, more likely, to give 
further time for reflection as to the nature of its 
future use. At any rate, provision was made for 
the novices elsewhere, and the new building on F 
street was opened as a scholasticate in 1820. Here- 
tofore, as we have said, the students of the Society 
of Jesus formed one of the departments of George- 
town College, but in the year indicated, under the 
care of Father Anthony Kohlmann, as the first rector 
and professor of dogmatic theology, they were trans- 
ferred to the new building in Washington. Hence 
arose the title of Seminary given to the College ever 
afterwards, even long after it had ceased to be a 
training-house or seminary for aspirants to the 
priesthood. 

The faculty of Washington Seminary in 1821 con- 
sisted of Rev. Anthony Kohlmann, S. J., President; 
Rev. Max Rantzau, S. J., Vice-President; Mr. Jere- 
miah Keiley, S. J., Teacher of First Grammar; Mr. 
Jerome Mudd, S. J., Teacher of Second Grammar; 
Mr. James Walsh, S. J., Teacher of Third Grammar; 
Mr. James Neill, S. J., assistant teacher. 

Fr. Kohlmann was born in 1771, at Kaiserberg, 
Alsace, and having finished his education was or- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 2 3 

dained priest. He labored in his priestly calling for 
several years in Italy and Austria, and in 1803 entered 
the Society of Jesus in Dunaburg, Russia. He was 
sent to America in 1806, and upon arriving, was 
appointed Socius to the Master of Novices, Fr. Neale. 
He contributed not a little to instil into the minds 
and hearts of the novices the spirit of the Society 
which had been preserved in the small remnant of 
devoted Jesuits in Russia. At the same time he 
gave missions to German Catholics in Pennsylvania 
and Maryland, and attended the parish at Alexandria, 
Va. In October, 1808, he was sent by Archbishop 
Carroll to New York City as pastor of St. Peter's 
Church, and as administrator of the diocese of New 
York, only recently separated from the diocese of 
Baltimore. Fr. Kohlmann displayed remarkable 
zeal in his new field of labor. To meet the wants of 
the Catholics in New York he purchased the plot of 
ground on which now stands old St. Patrick's Cathe- 
dral, and laid the corner-stone of that edifice on 
June 8, 1809. On the site now occupied by the new 
cathedral, on Fifth Avenue and Fiftieth street, he 
established a college under the title of "The New 
York Literary Institution," and introduced into the 
United States for the first time the Ursulines of 
Ireland. In 1813 he gained great prominence by his 
vigorous defense of the secrecy of the confessional. 
Having been summoned to reveal in court the names 
of persons who had stolen certain property, the 
knowledge of which he had gained in confession, he 
respectfully declined to answer, and upon being tried 
for contempt of court, he so well defended the in- 
violability of the confessional that the charge against 



2 4 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

him was dismissed, and his case has become an 
accepted precedent for all future time. In his zeal 
for the Church he published several learned works, 
among them a book against the doctrine of the Uni- 
tarians, entitled: "Unitarianism Philosophically and 
Theologically Examined." This work was much 
esteemed in those days and copies of it may still be 
found in the libraries of the older inhabitants of 
Washington. Soon after the arrival in December, 
1815, of Right Rev. John Connolly, second Bishop of 
New York, Father Kohlmann was recalled to Mary- 
land. His extraordinary merit caused him to be 
appointed to various positions of trust and distinc- 
tion. He became President of Georgetown College, 
professor of theology to the scholastics residing in 
that institution, and later was named Superior of the 
Maryland Mission. It was this distinguished man 
and learned priest who was appointed in 1821 as the 
first Rector of the present Gonzaga College. 

The Seminary, with its Jesuit students and Father 
Kohlmann at their head, was but a few months in 
existence when it opened its class-rooms indis- 
criminately to the youth of the city who desired to 
follow a classical course. This we learn from a 
letter of Father Kohmann, in 1822, stating that 
under dire necessity the Seminary "had opened 
classes for externs," and complaining that this was 
done in opposition to the rules of the Society of 
Jesus, since fees were accepted from the pupils. 
The reason for this complaint was the violation 
seemingly of one of the fundamental laws of the 
Society which forbids all compensation for the in- 
struction of youth. This had been strictly ob- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 25 

served in all colleges of the Society, previous to 
the suppression, since each one was founded with a 
revenue sufficient to support the teachers and 
officers of the college. But no such generosity 
welcomed the restored Society into renewed exist- 
ence, and yet the professors had to face the same 
struggle for existence. Consequently it became 
absolutely necessary to receive some compensation 
from the students who attended their colleges. 
And so men's minds were disturbed by the con- 
flict between the express prohibition of the rule 
and the necessities of the times and the change of 
circumstances. For this reason it was that Father 
Kohlmann complained of the condition under which 
the Seminary was opened to the lay students of 
Washington. Consciences were quieted some years 
later when the Holy See, owing to the circumstances 
of the time, as represented by Bishop Rosati of 
St. Louis, Missouri, permitted under certain restric- 
tions, fees to be taken from students, until such 
time as the colleges could secure the necessary 
foundations. 

We may say, then, that the year 1822, three or 
four years after its completion, marks the time when 
the old Seminary began its career as an intellectual 
nursery for the youth of Washington. We have 
few records of those early days, save incidental 
scraps from occasional letters in which the College 
and its work are alluded to. Thus we know that 
in the second year of its existence as a College for 
boys, its classes were so crowded that ten of the 
Jesuit students who were pursuing their own theo- 



26 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

logical studies had to be employed at the same 
time in teaching in the College. 

After three years spent in zealous labors for the 
advancement of Washington Seminary, Father Kohl- 
mann was, in 1824, recalled to Rome by Pope Leo 
XII, to fill the chair of Theology in the Roman 
College, which had been, in that same year, restored 
to the Society of Jesus. With him went most of 
the Jesuit students residing at the Seminary, to 
continue their studies in Rome, and from this time 
the College was devoted to lay students only. 
For five years Father Kohlmann filled this impor- 
tant post in Rome, and had among his pupils the 
present Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII. He was hon- 
ored by the friendship of Pope and Cardinals, and 
merited the encomiums of all who had known him 
for his deep learning, sound judgment, and exalted 
piety. He was made Consultor of the Holy Office 
and member of the Congregations of Ecclesiastical 
Affairs, and of Bishops and Regulars, and under 
the succeeding Pontiff, Gregory XVI, he was pro- 
moted to the office of Qualificator of the Roman 
Inquisition. The last years of this devoted priest 
were spent at the Gesu in the work most dear to 
his apostolic heart, the salvation of souls. It was 
here that on April 11, 1836, the last summons came, 
and strengthened by the Sacraments of Holy Church, 
he breathed forth his pure soul in peace and went 
to receive the reward of his many labors. 



CHAPTER II 
Fr. Adam Marshall, S. J. (1824-1825) 

IT is no easy matter to gather together the facts 
and incidents of those early days, as no catalogues 
were published and no diaries were kept, as far 
at least as we can discover, to guide the future 
chronicler in his researches. We half suspect that 
the founders of the Seminary considered their work 
little more than an experiment, and that they were 
unwilling to commit themselves to anything perma- 
nent until success should be assured. But there was 
published in the city, at that time, a newspaper 
which was a vigilant observer and faithful chronicler 
of all that took place in the District and elsewhere — • 
The National Intelligencer — and from it we learn 
what catalogues and diaries fail to supply. The 
opening of the College on September 8, 1821, is 
announced with due solemnity, and the Intelligencer 
proceeds to give the hours of study and of inter- 
mission, so that boys may know just exactly what 
is expected of them. The demands are by no means 
light, and it is doubtful if our degenerate youth 
of today could be made to submit to them. "The 
hours of attendance in the summer season will be 
from 7 a. m. till 12 m., and in winter from 8 a. m. 
till 12 m.; the afternoon session, in all seasons, will 
be from 2 till 5. p m." More than one-half of the 
average boy's waking time is to be given to study! 
And the results proved the wisdom of the arrange- 
ment. Study and class were a serious business to 
those earnest men and ambitious students, and it 
was believed and practised that study was the chief 

27 



28 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

duty of a student's life. It is to be feared that we 
are going back to the old Roman idea of a school, 
which by the Latins was termed Indus or play, and 
the schoolmaster ludi magister, or master of revels. 
Baseball and football now take up too many of the 
hours which might, with more profit and less danger, 
be devoted to Horace and Homer, or to Cicero and 
Demosthenes. The boys of those days had twice 
the study time of our modern school boy; it is 
natural to conclude that they acquired also twice 
the amount of knowledge. 

The first annual closing exercises of the Seminary 
took place on July 27, 1822, on which occasion 
"his honor, the Mayor of Washington, politely con- 
sented to perform the ceremony of distributing the 
premiums." The length of the scholastic year is 
worthy of note. Not satisfied with demanding 
eight hours daily of study and class the year is more 
than a month longer than we are accustomed to in 
these degenerate days. The time of the scholastic 
year is gradually shrinking, and now the middle 
of June finds our college doors closed, not to be 
reopened until the murky fires of September are 
nearly over. In that first exhibition we find the 
names of some who became illustrious in after life, 
and reflected glory upon the College in which their 
intellectual life had begun and received its first 
development. Most conspicuous then as a boy, as 
he was afterwards the most illustrious in public 
life, was James Hoban, who literally swept all before 
him in his college classes, and received, besides, 
an extra premium for general excellence. His sub- 
sequent career as the most distinguished member 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 29 

of the bar in this city, is well known to Washing- 
tonians; and in him the adage was literally verified 
that the child is father to the man. Noble Young, 
who died only a few years since, one of the most 
respected members of the medical fraternity in 
Washington, and for a long time at the head of the 
medical staff of Georgetown University, was also a 
student of the Seminary at this time, and received 
honorable mention at the end of this first year on 
July 27, 1822. 

After the departure of Father Kohlmann and the 
Jesuit students from the Seminary, Father Adam 
Marshall was appointed President. He was a native 
of Conewago, Pa., and had labored assiduously in 
New York, in the lower counties of Maryland, 
and in Georgetown College before he was attached 
to the Seminary. During the last year of Father 
Kohlmann's presidency, Father Marshall was sta- 
tioned at the Seminary in charge of the temporalities 
of the Maryland Mission. He is described as a 
"quiet, unobtrusive gentleman, fond of books, and 
best known to the inmates of the College by his 
attention to the good order of the classes and the 
diligence of the students." He was appointed 
President at the beginning of 1824. His adminis- 
tration was very brief; yet two events occurred 
during it worthy of more than a mere passing 
notice. The first is the part which the students 
took in the first civic procession in the City of Wash- 
ington. The Fourth of July, 1824, was the day 
selected for a grand civic demonstration to com- 
memorate the Declaration of Independence, and all 
the students of the different schools and the local 



3Q HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

societies were invited to join. And from that day 
to this, except during the years of the suppression, 
the students of the Seminary, and later of Gonzaga 
College, its continuation, have been conspicuous in 
every public demonstration instituted by the city 
authorities. Their last public appearance was in 
the inaugural parade of President McKinley, where 
they marched proudly behind their own field-band, 
armed and accoutred in martial array, notably 
winning for themselves the admiration and applause 
of the bystanders. It may be well for our cadets, 
both of the present and of the future, to bear in 
mind that not even the Association of the Oldest 
Inhabitants has a better right than they to parade 
in the streets of Washington, since their College was 
well represented in the very first civic procession in 
the young city, when as yet there were no oldest 
inhabitants, and but few older than themselves, to 
represent the glory of Washington. This demon- 
stration must, of course, have been a very modest 
one, since the population was small and the streets 
little more than magnificent distances, and their 
enormous width was then the only thing magnificent 
about them. Whether it was Tom Moore or Charles 
Dickens who first crystallized that sarcasm about 
Washington as a city of magnificent distances, he 
wrote better than he knew, for none short of a 
prophet could have foreseen the splendid civic and 
military demonstrations, through superb avenues 
and garden-like streets — truly magnificent — in which 
Gonzaga College, in the future, should bear an 
honorable part. The Washington of those days 
was, probably, little better than a lagoon of mud in 
winter and a vast field of dust in summer, but 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 31 

neither mud could, drown nor dust could choke the 
enthusiasm of patriotism. 

Another remarkable incident, during the few 
months of Father Marshall's presidency, was the 
part which the students took in the reception given 
to Lafayette on the 12th of October, 1824, in the 
Capital of the Nation for which he had fought and 
which he had helped to establish. Only last year a 
venerable and highly esteemed priest was called 
away to his reward, who was a student of the Semi- 
nary on that occasion, the Rev. James A. Ward, one 
of the most distinguished classical scholars in the 
United States. By his side was another student 
who afterwards became well known as a scholar 
and pulpit orator throughout the country — the 
Rev. William Francis Clarke, S. -J. They used to 
relate how the students of the Seminary were 
ranged on each side of what is now East Capitol 
Street as the favorite General of George Washington 
passed by, and how Lafayette bowed and smiled 
graciously in response to their salutes and patriotic 
applause. Two days later, on October 14, the 
students of the Seminary were invited to join with 
the Georgetown College boys in a welcome given to 
the Marquis in Georgetown College. Appropriate 
and patriotic addresses were made to the illustrious 
visitor by the President of Georgetown College and 
by Father Marshall, and years afterwards Lafayette 
spoke of this reception with feeling and gratitude 
in the French Assembly. 

This seems to have been Father Marshall's last 
public appearance as President of the Seminary. 
His health began to fail rapidly, and the physicians 
recommended a complete rest from the cares of 



32 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

office and a sea voyage. Through the influence of 
Commodore Rodgers, who had two sons at the 
College, he obtained the position of instructor on 
board the United States ship North Carolina, and 
on Wednesday, December 1, 1824, he left Wash- 
ington never again to return. He remained on 
the ship cruising about the Mediterranean for nine 
months, without any advantage to his shattered 
health. The log book of the North Carolina records 
the end of this amiable priest's career. Under the 
date of September 20, 1825, is the following entry: 
"At 4 a. m. Rev. Adam Marshall (schoolmaster) 
departed this life. At 10 a. m. called all hands to 
bury the dead, and committed the body of Rev. 
Adam Marshall to the deep." This was while the 
North Carolina was on her passage from Naples to 
Gibraltar. Commodore Rodgers, a month later, 
October 22, 1825, communicated the loss to the 
Secretary of the Navy: "The service has lost Rev. 
Adam Marshall, the schoolmaster of this ship, whose 
exemplary deportment had gained him the esteem 
of all who knew him." 

Father Marshall had been scarcely one year 
President of the Seminary, but he had the honor 
of completing all the classes in the College as they 
are in every fully equipped Jesuit college. There 
was at the end of 1825 one student, George W. 
Anderson, who had completed a year's course of 
philosophy maxima cum laude; but the Seminary 
was not yet empowered to confer degrees, and had 
to beg her older sister, or mother, perhaps, we 
should say, Georgetown College, to crown the 
well-earned labors of her children with scholastic 
honors. 



CHAPTER III 
Rev. Jeremiah Keiley, S. J. (1826-1827) 

THERE is an apparent contradiction in the 
different accounts of Father Marshall's suc- 
cessor, which will prove very puzzling unless it 
be explained. Some state that Father Matthews, the 
pastor of St. Patrick's Church, was the third Presi- 
dent of the Seminary — while others, without com- 
ment or explanation, say that Father Jeremiah Keiley 
succeeded Father Marshall. Both accounts can be 
easily reconciled, though it seems more correct to 
place Father Keiley as the third President. 

The old scruple about receiving fees from the stu- 
dents for tuition had not yet been quieted. The 
Society of Jesus in its plans for educating youth had 
always taken it for granted that its colleges or semi- 
naries would be founded institutions, and no provi- 
sion had been made for a state of things in which the 
teaching staff should depend for sustenance upon 
the scholars. It was clearly, then, against the letter 
and spirit of the constitutions to accept fees without 
a dispensation from the Sovereign Pontiff. To 
bridge over this difficulty, an agreement was entered 
into between the pastor of St. Patrick's and the 
Jesuits of the Seminary, by which the former, who 
was not a Jesuit, should have full charge of the 
reception of boys with or without tuition fees, and 
should at the same time provide for the support of 
the Jesuit teachers, while the latter should have full 
control of studies and of everything else belonging 
to internal government. Father Matthews then was 
what might be termed the legal superior, before the 

33 



34 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

public, while Father Keiley was the religious superior 
of the community, and director of studies in the 
college. This expedient seemed to be satisfactory in 
the beginning, but events proved that the difficulty 
was not yet solved, and its non-solution led to the 
suppression of the Seminary after a very short time. 
Father Matthews was one of the remarkable men of 
his time in the Catholic Church of America, and was 
like unto a patriarch in Washington. He belonged 
to the well known Maryland family of that name, and 
was born in Charles County, December 16, 1770. 
Like the other Catholic youth of respectable families 
in America of that period he could not receive a 
fitting education in his own country, for Georgetown, 
the first Catholic College, was not founded until 1789. 
He was therefore sent to Liege, in Belgium, to the 
English College, to pursue his studies. After his 
return to America he was a student of St. Mary's 
College, Baltimore, and a professor in Georgetown 
College. He was ordained by the venerable John 
Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, in 1800, being the 
fifth priest and the first native of the country who was 
ordained in the United States. 

He was appointed pastor of St. Patrick's Church, 
and it was probably whilst pastor that he was Vice- 
President and afterwards President of Georgetown 
College. He became President of Georgetown Col- 
lege toward the end of 1808, and resigned on Novem- 
ber 1, 1809, to devote himself entirely to his duties 
as pastor of St. Patrick's Church, which stood at 
that time, at the corner of 10th and E Streets. 

It was Father Matthews who induced the fathers 
of Georgetown to establish a day school in Wash- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 35 

ington, and it is frequently asserted that he gave 
them the land on which the Seminary was built. 
Father McElroy, whose authority is decisive in 
this matter, states just the contrary in his "Recollec- 
tions." He says that the property belonged origi- 
nally to Georgetown College, and that it was donated 
by the College authorities to the Seminary. 

We find a great increase of pupils in the Seminary 
at this time, and representatives of the very best 
families in Washington. There were attending its 
classes the sons of Secretary Benjamin Rush, of 
Postmaster General Meigs, of Commodores Rodgers 
and Chauncey, together with a son of the illustrious 
orator and statesman, Daniel Webster. It is prob- 
able that Father Matthews' personal worth and 
public influence had much to do with this state of 
things, but the fame of the teachers of the Seminary 
contributed very much to this success, likewise. 
Chief amongst them was the Rev. Jeremiah Keiley, 
who, as we have said, was superior of the community 
and director of classes in the College. He was also 
assistant to Father Matthews in the work of the 
parish. He had been professor of rhetoric and 
director of studies under Father Marshall, and on 
that gentleman's retirement he became superior, as 
has been explained above. He was an eloquent 
preacher, and his Sunday evening lectures against 
the apostate Blanco White were one of the pious 
attractions of the Capital during his service at St. 
Patrick's. He was instrumental in the conversion 
of Mrs. Cummings, the mother of Dr. Jeremiah Cum- 
mings (so named after Fr. Keiley), the famous 
pastor of St. Stephen's in New York, and builder of 



36 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

the present splendid church dedicated to the proto- 
martyr. 

The scholastic year of 1826-1827 shows the fol- 
lowing Faculty at the Seminary: Rev. William 
Matthews, President; Rev. Jeremiah Keiley, pre- 
fect of the studies; Mr. William Grace, professor of 
rhetoric and poetry; Mr. Edward McCarthy, teacher 
of first grammar; Richard Hardney, teacher of 
second and third grammar; Brother Charles Strahan, 
teacher of rudiments; Mr. James Curley, teacher of 
second rudiments and mathematics. One name at 
least will be easily recognized by many, that of the 
"modest but meritorious Curley," who for sixty years 
watched the stars, and cultivated rare plants, and 
graciously showed visitors about the scholarly halls 
and classic shades of Georgetown College and its 
romantic walks. He died there a few years since 
after having progressed well into the nineties. He 
was as remarkable for his childlike simplicity as for 
his deep insight into the mysteries of nature. Mr. 
Grace, mentioned above, afterwards Father William 
Grace, was a gentleman of ripe and sturdy scholar- 
ship. The Rev. Edward I. Devitt, S. J., is respon- 
sible for the following concerning him: "The writer 
remembers the enthusiasm of one who fought for the 
'Lost Cause.' On a visit to the old place, while 
recalling the past, he said: 'Next to Stonewall Jack- 
son, Father Grace was the best man I ever knew; 
there was only this difference between them, that 
Father Grace was a Christian that could pray, but 
Stonewall Jackson was a Christian that could pray 
and fight too!' From various data we have gath- 
ered concerning Father Grace, we think his fighting 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 37 

qualities would have been equal to his praying ones 
when a just cause demanded their manifestation. 
From the same writer we learn that the programme 
for the exhibition or commencement of 1826-1827 
shows a list of twenty pieces, and among the youthful 
speakers are the names of some who were afterwards 
distinguished in public life, as James M. Carlisle and 
Frederick May. College commencements were usu- 
ally lengthy performances in those days; as there 
were no theaters or lecture courses, or any such public 
amusement to entertain and instruct, parents then 
were quite willing to sit down to numerous speeches 
and recitations which were their only public intellec- 
tual recreation once a year. Alas! all that, too, has 
been changed; and now the commencement exercises 
have to be curtailed even as the hours of class and the 
months of study have been shortened. The students 
in attendance, at the close of the year, numbered 
about 150, and everything indicated a future pros- 
perity that would surpass all anticipations. But 
like a thunderclap, orders came from the General 
of the Jesuits that the College should be closed / 
and the teachers transferred to Georgetown Col- 
lege. Some have spoken of this suppression as if 
there were some hidden, mysterious motive for it, 
and yet it was nothing more than the same old 
difficulty that had hung like a black cloud over the 
College from the beginning, to wit, the violation 
of the law in receiving fees for the education of day 
scholars. In the catalogue of colleges in the Mary- 
land Mission for 1829 is the following note in Latin: 
"The Seminary at Washington was suppressed on 
the 25th of September, 1827, for want of sufficient 



38 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

support conformable to our constitutions, although 
it seemed to be in a flourishing condition. The build- 
ing, which belongs to the Society, was rented out." 
There was nothing but this left for the General to do. 
It was his duty to uphold the rules of the Order in 
every part of the world, and he was particularly 
bound to see that the poverty professed by the 
Society should suffer no detriment. As yet, the 
necessary dispensation had not been obtained, and 
therefore the College, with all its prospects, had to go 
rather than suffer a clear violation of a most sacred 
and fundamental principle. 

Father Keiley was unwilling to submit. The 
great success of the Seminary had blinded him to 
higher interests, and therefore when the students 
assembled, for the new scholastic year in Septem- 
ber, 1827, he announced that the college would 
be resumed on the following morning in the "Old 
Capitol Building" on Capitol Hill. There he at- 
tempted to continue the Seminary, under the name 
of Washington City College. He had with him the 
lay teachers of the Seminary and one Jesuit, who had 
followed him in his act of insubordination, Brother 
Strahan. The students flocked to the new college, 
under the impression that it was merely a change of 
place, and little suspected that a great principle was 
involved. Amongst them we find the names of 
William Francis Clarke, James A. Ward, Daniel 
Lynch and John Carroll Brent. The hegira was 
successful for a time until it was realized that Father 
Keiley had severed his connection with the Society 
of Jesus. For two years he conducted his independ- 
ent school until he found it impossible to obtain a 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 39 

charter for a college. He transferred his rights to a 
Mr. Hughes, from Virginia, and went to Philadelphia. 
Subsequently we find him in St. Louis and New 
Orleans, where he died, retaining till the end the 
most affectionate regard for the Society from which 
he had estranged himself. 

This is really the end of the first period of the 
history of that which is now known as Gonzaga 
College, or as it was then called, the Seminary. 
The action of the General of the Jesuits was a great 
blow to Father Matthews. Over and over again 
he wrote for a reconsideration of the order, but, it 
is needless to add, in vain. He lived, however, to see 
his efforts crowned with success, when in 1848 the 
college was again resuscitated in the old place, in the 
parish of St. Patrick's. The building of the old 
seminary was continued as a private school from 
1828 until 1848, twenty years, under the fostering 
care of Father Matthews, who had watched over it 
during all that time, until he saw it restored to those 
who had first won for it fame and renown. 



CHAPTER IV 
Rev. John E. Blox, S. J. (1848-1851) 

GONZAGA COLLEGE in 1848 welcomed back 
the Fathers of the Society after an absence of 
twenty years. The old difficulty about tui- 
tion, mainly instrumental in the early removal of the 
Fathers, had been cleared up by a dispensation 
graciously accorded Very Rev. Father Roothaan, 
General of the Jesuits, by His Holiness Pope Gregory 
XVI, under date of January 13, 1833. All scruples 
put to rest, the Fathers resumed their labors on 
October 2, 1848, and in the words of an old chronicler, 
Father Matthews' heart was gladdened on that day 
by the sight of two hundred boys who sought ad- 
mission to the College. 

The Officers and Faculty comprise the following 
names: Rev. John E. Blox, S. J., President; Rev. 
Francis Vespre, S. J., Vice-President; Rev. Daniel 
Lynch, S. J., Professor of Poetry and Spanish; Mr. 
Robert Fulton, S. J., Mr. Anthony Van den Heuvell, 
S.J., Mr. Nicholas Byrne, S. J., and three lay teachers, 
Professors of Grammar. 

Among the professors will be noticed a former 
pupil of the College, Rev. Daniel Lynch, who then 
and for over a score of years afterwards served to 
link the old College with the new. The great 
number of names on the records of 1848, identical 
with those of the first students of the College (from 
1821 to 1827), shows that her alumni, appreciating 
what she had done for themselves, committed their 
sons to her care, assured that their Alma Mater had 
not departed from her past high standard of moral 

40 




Rev. John E. Blox, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 43 

and intellectual training. The following few names 
will indicate to some extent the walks of life in 
which these boys of '48 have since fulfilled their 
fathers' hopes and done honor to Gonzaga's teach- 
ing: Martin F. Morris, Esq., Rev. Peter Paul Fitz- 
patrick, S. J., James Hoban, Esq., James C. Pilling, 
Esq., Rev. William B. Cleary, S. J., Francis B. 
Mohun, Esq., James W. Orme, James K. Cleary, 
Walter C. Briscoe, M. D., Francis P. B. Sands, Esq., 
Gen. Charles Ewing. 

Father John E. Blox, S. J., the fourth President 
of the College, was born in Belgium on June 17, 
1810. At the age of twenty- two, eager to gather 
in the rich harvests of the American missionary, 
he came to this country and entered the Novitiate 
of the Society of Jesus at Whitemarsh, Md., on 
November 5, 1832. After his term of probation 
he was sent to Georgetown College to begin his 
studies for the priesthood and assist at one time in 
the capacity of Prefect, at another in that of Profes- 
sor of Philosophy. In company with his fellow- 
novices, James A. Ward, William F. Clarke and 
Charles H. Stonestreet, he was ordained priest by 
Archbishop Eccleston, at Trinity Church, on July 
14, 1843. The year preceding his appointment to 
the rectorship of Gonzaga, Father Blox was superior 
of St. Xavier's College, Cincinnati, in the absence 
of its Rector, Father Ebel. This position gave 
Father Blox much valuable experience that stood 
him in good stead in the management of Gonzaga 
College. The knowledge then acquired, his engag- 
ing manners and warmly affectionate disposition 
were the tools he brought to the work of raising 



44 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Gonzaga College to the height of her former glory. 
Indeed were number rated the standard of an insti- 
tution's excellence, the seminary's glory during the 
administration of Father Blox shone with more than 
its past splendor. No Catholic of note in Washing- 
ton went unrepresented on her rolls during these 
years. Small wonder that students flocked in such 
numbers to her doors. Father Blox had only to be 
known to be loved, and as Father Matthews' ad- 
vanced age of seventy-eight threw much, if not all, 
of the work of the parish on his shoulders, his con- 
tact with parents made them desire to entrust their 
sons to the influence of his training. Three months 
after the reopening the pupils had progressed so 
rapidly that they were able to give a public exhibi- 
tion to their friends and relatives on December 30, 

1848. Again on February 28, 1849, to inaugurate 
the second term, the gratified parents were treated 
to another specimen of their sons' progress in studies. 
But the gladdest day of the whole year was July 19, 

1849, when the College held its first commencement 
exercises after its reestablishment. One day was 
not reckoned space enough for the young orators to 
do full credit to themselves. So the commencement 
lasted two days, the 19th and 20th. Long before 
5 p.m., the hour set for the procession to the hall, 
the boys began to gather in the college yard on F 
Street. A group of two hundred and seventy promis- 
ing youths, two abreast, in beautiful uniforms, 
headed by a band of soul-stirring music, four gorgeous 
banners borne aloft along the line, the whole closed 
by citizens of the District and the Faculty of the 
College in their official garb, moved in splendid 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 45 

order along our broad avenue up to Carusi's Saloon, 
at that time the most fashionable assembly room in 
Washington. Hours before the appointed time, 
Carusi's was crowded to overflowing with the elite 
of Washington, the President of the United States, 
General Zachary Taylor, among the number. It 
is recorded that the youthful orators reflected honor 
on themselves and their instructors, and filled their 
numerous friends with the highest satisfaction and 
gratification. The correctness and propriety of ges- 
ture and enunciation, the perfect ease and mastery 
with which each speaker handled his subject, com- 
manded the admiration of all. Thomas Lay, John 
Franklin, James Hoban and Walter Briscoe par- 
ticularly distinguished themselves. The exercises 
of the second night were on as grand a scale as those 
of the first. Among the speakers we notice the 
names of Eugene L. Fleury, James McCarthy and 
Thomas King. A comic piece, "The Disappointed 
Ofhce-Seeker," convulsed with laughter not only 
the whole audience, but especially the stern con- 
queror of Buena Vista. One hundred and twenty 
students were rewarded with medals, premiums and 
rosettes for class work during the year. The boys 
of '49 who merited medals were John F. Callan, 
Martin F. Morris, Joseph Lindsley, Edward Caton, 
David Wilber, H. Bourgevin, James Smith, Thomas 
King, John Boone, William B. Cleary and Isaac 
Beers. Thus ended the first year of Gonzaga Col- 
lege after its reopening. 

The fond hopes of friends for its future success 
were fully realized when Gonzaga College began 
its second renascent year on September 1, 1849, 



46 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

with three hundred and forty pupils, increased by 
Christmastide to four hundred. When the bell 
ringing in the season of 1849-50 had summoned 
the students from the play-ground, they were in- 
formed that the College for the ensuing year would 
be directed by Rev. John E. Blox, President; Rev. 
Francis Vespre, Vice-President; Rev. Hippolyte de 
Neckere, Professor of Rhetoric; with Messrs. J. 
Slattery, Anthony Van den Heuvel, Renward Bauer, 
Brothers Nipper and Whelan, as professors of re- 
maining classes, and Messrs. John Lynch, John F. 
McCarthy and John C. Coolidge, lay tutors. On 
February 4, 1850, a grand semi-annual exhibition 
was held in Carusi's Saloon, which, the papers of 
that date declare, "sustained the reputation of 
previous efforts." The commencement exercises on 
July 16 and 17, 1850, met with the same full meed 
of praise. 

The College reopened on September 2, 1850, 
with a large increase of students. The entry book 
from October 2, 1848, to October 2, 1850, records 
the names of five hundred and twenty-five pupils. 
The Faculty was increased this year, the last of 
Father Blox's administration, by the arrival of 
Messrs. Barrister, Rumele, Lilly and McAtee. Mass 
was celebrated every Sunday at nine o'clock in St. 
Patrick's Church for the students, during which 
one of the scholastics delivered a short sermon. 
Sometimes a Father from Georgetown College said 
the Mass. There is frequent mention of Father 
Bixio having done so. 

In the invitation sent to parents and friends for 
the semi-annual exhibition on February 28, 1851, 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 47 

Father Blox states that the exercises will be held 
at the National Hall and will begin at 9 a.m. As 
there were sixty-four speakers on the programme, 
the wonder is when they stopped. 

It is quite probable that the boys made an annual 
retreat in the years 1849 and 1850; yet no mention 
is made of any but the retreat of 1851. It was 
opened on Sunday, April 13, by Father Anthony 
Ciampi. The exercises began with Mass in St. 
Patrick's at 8.45 a.m., and were concluded with 
Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament at 
5.30 p.m. In the College diary are recorded the 
names of fifty students who made their First Com- 
munion on Wednesday morning, April 16, 1851. 

Towards the close of this year the boys were in- 
vited to join in the mournful procession that ac- 
companied the remains of their beloved Archbishop 
Eccleston to the depot of the Baltimore & Ohio 
Railroad. The Archbishop, while on a visit to the 
Georgetown Convent of the Visitation, died on 
Tuesday, April 22, 1851. On April 24, the President 
of the United States, foreign ministers, distinguished 
public men, the clergy of Washington, the students 
and professors of Georgetown and Gonzaga, and 
deputations from the Catholic Churches of this 
city and Baltimore formed the funeral cortege. 
Father Blox delivered the funeral oration at the 
Solemn High Mass of Requiem, celebrated at St. 
Patrick's Church on May 14th, for the repose of the 
soul of the Most Reverend Archbishop. 

On June 21, 1851, the feast of St. Aloysius was 
kept for the first time at the College in a most solemn 
and impressive manner. All the students attended 



48 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Mass in St. Patrick's Church. The celebrant of 
the Mass was Rev. Father Lanaghan, pastor of St. 
Peter's Church, assisted by Rev. Father Bixio, 
deacon, and Mr. Barrister, sub-deacon. Rev. 
Fathers Blox and Slattery were seated in the sanctu- 
ary. The panegyric was preached by a scholastic 
from Georgetown College. 

Father Blox could at the close of this school year 
look back with pleasure on the magnificent results 
accomplished during his term of office, the inaugural 
term of a long series, destined to add new glory to 
the splendid annals of old Gonzaga. On August 15, 
1851, he relinquished his position to Rev. Samuel 
Barber, S. J., and retired to other scenes. Towards 
the end of the year 1854 we find him pastor of St. 
Mary's Church, Ale-' ,,iiere by his engaging 

manners and ur 1 ^narity he drew many to 

the fold of Christ. Among his converts were Col. 
George William Brent, one of the leading lawyers of 
the Alexandria bar, and afterwards Adjutant Gen- 
eral of the Confederate Army of the Tennessee under 
Beauregard; Mrs. Dr. Chilton, nee Massie; Robert 
Hayre Andrews, his two sisters and their husbands. 
The records of St. Mary's Church note twelve other 
conversions made by Father Blox. In 1857 he was 
sent to Philadelphia, where on April 27, 1860, he 
died in the fiftieth year of his age. 



CHAPTER V 
Rev. Samuel Barber, S. J. (1851-1854) 

REV. Samuel Barber, S. J., the fifth President 
of Gonzaga College, was of the noted Barber 
family of Claremont, N. H. He was born 
March 19, 1814. His father, Virgil Horace Barber, 
and his grandfather, Daniel Barber, were Protestant 
ministers and subsequently converts to the Catholic 
faith. His father entered the Society of Jesus; his 
mother, the Visitation Order. One of his sisters 
became a Visitation nun; the three others, nuns of 
the Ursuline Order. When his father and mother 
separated to enter religion Samuel was just three 
years old; his sister Josephine, only ten months. 
They were both received into the house of Bishop 
Fenwick's mother, who lived aciiacent to George- 
town College, on ground that now forms part of 
the College property. When old enough Samuel 
began his studies at Georgetown College. He gradu- 
ated with honor in his seventeenth year and follow- 
ing the example of his father entered the Society of 
Jesus on July 30, 1830. Two years later he made 
his vows on the Feast of the Assumption of Our 
Blessed Lady, and immediately afterwards left for 
Rome to make the prescribed studies of the Society. 
He was ordained priest on September 22, 1839. 
Returning to his native country towards the end of 
the year 1840, he was stationed at Georgetown, where 
he remained till 1845. In this year we find him at 
Conewago, Pa. He was back again at Georgetown 
College in 1846 as Professor of Spanish and preacher 
to the students. On St. Stanislaus' Day, Novem- 
ber 13, 1846, he was named to the important office 

49 



50 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

of Master of Novices, at Frederick, a position he 
held till August 15, 1851, when he succeeded Father 
Blox as rector of Gonzaga College. 

The scholastic year of 1851-1852 opened with 
Rev. Samuel Barber, S. J., President; Rev. James A. 
Ward, S. J., Vice-President and Prefect of Schools; 
Rev. Francis Vespre, S. J., Procurator and Chaplain; 
Messrs. John Barrister, S. J., Renward Bauer, S. J., 
Charles Rumele, S. J., Professors of the higher 
classes; Brothers John Nipper, S. J., and John Cas- 
sian, S. J., and three laymen, teachers of the lower 
classes. The old traditions of the College were 
preserved in Rev. James A. Ward, S. J., whose 
education from 1823 to 1827 had been directed by 
such men as Fathers Marshall, Keiley and Mat- 
thews. The students had been accustomed in Father 
Blox's time to attend Mass in St. Patrick's Church 
at nine o'clock on Sunday mornings; but Father 
Barber so enlarged the College Chapel that they 
could hear Mass in it. Father Solari, S. J., of 
Georgetown College, frequently said the Mass and 
preached. Don Manuel Carvallo, the Chilean Min- 
ister, was often present and it is recorded that on one 
occasion he served the Mass. The diary of this time 
notes that Father Barber established a night school 
on November 18, 1851. There is no other entry of 
note till July, 1852, when the term closed with the 
usual exercises. 

On the reopening of schools, September 1, 1852, 
Father Barber's assistants were: Fathers de Neckere 
and Charlier; Messrs. Joseph Hegan, Francis McAtee, 
John Gaffney, Peter McDermott, James Sheerin; 
Brothers Nipper and Cassian and two lay teachers. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 5 1 

On September 5, 1852, the Young Catholic's 
Friend Society held their first meeting in one of 
the College class-rooms. A month later, Father 
Stonestreet, Provincial of the Jesuits, preached a 
Charity sermon for the benefit of the society in 
St. Patrick's Church. In May, 1853, the celebrated 
Dr. Orestes Brownson lectured before the society. 
Carusi's Saloon was filled on the occasion by a 
distinguished audience. In November of 1853 the 
College chronicler records that Joseph King, one of 
the most promising students, departed for Freder- 
ick to enlist in the Society of Jesus. He was a 
brother to Sister M. Loretto, later Mother Superior 
of the Visitation Convent, Georgetown. Father 
Matthews, now nearing the close of his long and 
useful life, never lost interest in Gonzaga. Hear- 
ing that the director of the Blessed Virgin's Sodality 
was forming a library for the benefit of the sodalists, 
Father Matthews presented him with a large num- 
ber of valuable books. "The Three Kings," a play 
written by one of the scholastics, Mr. Francis 
McAtee, S. J., was produced during Epiphany week, 
1853. This was followed by the "Village Lawyer." 
These plays ran for three successive Wednesdays, 
and it is noted for the benefit of future economists 
that eight members of the Marine Band furnished 
the music for the second night for twelve dollars. 

The retreat of 1853 was given by Rev. Hippolyte 
de Neckere, S. J. The exercises began at 8 a. m. 
and ended at 4 p.m. Many of the Protestant boys 
made the retreat. The utmost silence was observed 
at all times. There was no play in the yard. On 
Thursday, February 3, the senior students and 
twelve junior students approached the Holy Table. 



5 2 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Mr. John Lynch, a brother to Rev. Daniel Lynch, 
S. J., departed this life on February 22, 1853. He 
was one of the most devoted of the lay teachers 
who assisted the Fathers after the reopening of the 
College in 1848. Prevented by feeble health from 
entering the Society of Jesus, he resolved to give his 
remaining years to the service of the Society as a 
teacher in Gonzaga College. So well had he done 
his work and so piously had he lived that he was 
granted the privilege of taking the vows of the 
Society on his deathbed. 

The commencement of 1853 occurred on July 14, 
a week earlier than the closing exercises of 1849. 
Following the custom of preceding years, the boys 
assembled on the College grounds as early as seven 
o'clock in the morning and then at eight o'clock, 
headed by the Marine Band, marched in procession 
to the National Theater. Fifteen declamations 
preceded a three-act drama, entitled "Kimla, or the 
King's Son," which was followed by a comedy, 
"The Travellers," and an epilogue by William F. 
Sands. As the Star of that day expresses it: "An 
idea of the strength of the dramatis personae may be 
gathered from the fact that thirty-four characters 
were represented on the stage." 

Father Barber entered upon the last year of his 
Presidency with Father Hippolyte de Neckere, 
Vice-President and Professor of French; Father 
Alphonse Charlier, Procurator and Professor of 
French; Messrs. Hegan, McAtee, McDermott, and 
Logan, Professors in the classical department, and 
Messrs. Gaffney, Sheerin and Brother Cassian in 
the English. The first month of school after vaca- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 53 

tion witnessed the inauguration of the "Washing- 
ton Seminary Guards." There may have existed 
a military company in the College some years before 
this, for the record speaks of uniforms and marching 
on exhibition days. But the first we have intima- 
tion of is the company above named. Mr. Nicholas 
Callan drilled them two or three times a week. But 
this became so much like work that the boys grew 
tired of playing soldiers and the "Seminary Guards" 
met the fate of many a similar company. 

The records of this year show that Henry Ashton 
Bibb, the son of Hon. George M. Bibb, ex-Secretary 
of the Treasury, was one of the brightest orna- 
ments of the College. Gifted with a brilliant 
intellect he so improved it by careful study and 
diligent application that he won the esteem and 
admiration of his teachers. During his short col- 
lege life his name was most conspicuous on the 
programmes of each succeeding exhibition. He 
died on January 6, 1854. As he had longed to 
enter the Society of Jesus, his remains were clothed 
in a Jesuit's cassock. 

Three months afterwards Father Barber and the 
students of the College were called upon to mourn 
the loss of another friend, endeared to them by 
his connection with the College as its third Presi- 
dent and by his continued interest in its welfare, 
the Rev. William Matthews. 



CHAPTER VI 
Rev. Hippolyte J. de Neckere, S. J. (1854-1857) 

ON August 15, 1854, Father Barber was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. Hippolyte J. de Neckere, S. J., 
the sixth President of Gonzaga College. Father 
de Neckere was born in Belgium on August 21, 1818. 
His family was distinguished in the Church, for his 
uncle, Rt. Rev. Leo Raymond de Neckere, D. D., 
was Bishop of New Orleans; two of his sisters were 
nuns of Notre Dame in Paris; and his brother, Rev. 
Francis Xavier de Neckere, S. J., was a devoted 
priest on the Conewago mission. Entering the 
Society of Jesus on September 28, 1839, Father de 
Neckere remained a member of the Belgian Province 
till 1846, when he was sent to Georgetown College 
to begin his second year of theology. At the end of 
his fourth year he was ordained, in August, 1849, 
by Archbishop Eccleston, and detailed to Gonzaga 
College as professor of rhetoric, Spanish, and mathe- 
matics. In 1851 he was at Frederick making the 
third year of probation. The next year he was an 
Indian missionary with Rev. John Bapst, S. J., in 
the State of Maine. He was recalled to Washing- 
ton in 1853 to assume the vice-presidency of the 
College and the professorship of French. Besides 
holding these offices he was one of the assistant 
pastors of St. Patrick's Church. He had now be- 
come such a master of the English language that he 
was rated high as a preacher, and was frequently 
called upon to give missions. On March 28, 1854, 
he started on a missionary tour through the State of 
Georgia. His four months' work was full of con- 

54 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 55 

solation and rich in the harvest of souls. Though 
attacked by a serious illness, on his return he was 
sufficiently well recovered to begin the school term 
of 1854-55 as President of Gonzaga College. The 
following faculty came to his assistance : 

Rev. Alphonse Charlier, S. J., Vice-President, 
Professor of French and Mathematics ; Rev. Aloysius 
Janalick, S. J., Professor of Rhetoric and Poetry; 
Mr. Stephen Kelly, S. J., Professor of First Gram- 
mar; Mr. John B. Mullally, S. J., Professor of Second 
Grammar; Mr. John Gaffney, S. J., Professor of 
Third Grammar; Mr. Bernard P. Toale, S. J., 
Professor of Rudiments; Brother Michael Cassain, 
S. J., Principal of Preparatory Department; Mr. 
Christian Beckert, Professor of Music. 

A Literary Society, whose name was afterwards 
in Father Stonestreet's time changed to that of 
"Phocion," was organized on May 15, 1855. 

The St. Cecilia Society, presided over by Mr. 
Stephen Kelly, S. J., and directed by Mr. Chris- 
tian Beckert, was also established this year. 

Most Rev. Archbishop Kenrick administered the 
Sacrament of Confirmation to forty-six students 
in the College Chapel. Among the happy recipients 
was John Rover, who afterwards entered the Society 
of Jesus. 

The Commencement of 1855, which took place 
as early as July 9, was held in Carusi's Saloon. 
Its programme, in the matter of brevity, was an 
improvement on predecessors. It contains, never- 
theless, the names of thirty-six individual speakers. 

Father de Neckere began the second year of his 
administration (1855-56) with the following staff 



56 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

of assistants: Rev. Henry Hoban, S. J., Vice- 
President; Mr. Edward Boone, S. J., Professor of 
Rhetoric, Poetry and Mathematics; Rev. Patrick 
Creighton, S. J., Professor of First Grammar; Mr. 
Stephen Kelly, S. J., Professor of Second Gram- 
mar; Mr. John Gaffney, S. J., Professor of Third 
Grammar; Mr. John B. Mullally, S. J., Professor 
of Third Grammar, second section; Mr. Joseph 
O'Reilly, S. J., Professor of Third Grammar, third 
section; Brother Cassian, S. J., Principal of Prepara- 
tory Department. The only record we have of this 
year is a book containing the names of First Com- 
municants. Father Edward Boone, who was one 
of the professors of that year, tells us that for the 
Commencement of 1856 James A. Wise submitted 
seven original compositions, one of which he de- 
livered. 

During the last year of Father de Neckere's 
term (1856-57), the destinies of the College were in 
the hands of the following: Rev. Henry Hoban, 
S. J., Vice-President; Rev. John Barrister, S. J., 
Chaplain; Rev. George Haller, S. J., Professor of 
Rhetoric and Poetry; Mr. Edward Hand, S. J., Mr. 
John Gaffney, S. J., Mr. John B. Mullally, S. J., 
Mr. William Tehan, S. J., Professors of Grammar 
Classes; Brother Cassian, S. J., Principal of Prepara- 
tory Department. 

The records of this year are as few and sparse 
as those of its predecessor, and are confined chiefly 
to a list of fifteen students who made their First 
Communion on February 1, 1857, and to a lengthy 
description of the administration of the Sacrament 
of Confirmation. The Evening Star of that date 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 5 7 

thus describes the Commencement of 1857: "The 
Annual Exhibition of the Washington Seminary 
— an institution that deservedly has an abiding 
hold upon the regard and confidence of the com- 
munity- — took place this morning (July 6). At an 
early hour its army of students marched in pro- 
cession from the Seminary building on F Street down 
Seventh to Pennsylvania Avenue, thence by way of 
Eleventh Street to Carusi's Saloon. They were led 
by Esputa's Band, and marched with banners flying 
under the direction of marshals of their own choice, 
and accompanied by their beloved instructors and 
veteran friends of the institution. The programme 
contains the names of only sixteen participants." 

Soon came the sad intelligence that Father de 
Neckere was to terminate his connection with the 
College on August 15. Yet sadder still was the 
news of his death, which was to reach them only 
two years later. Though completely broken down 
at the close of his labors in Washington, his indom- 
itable energy enabled him to assume the offices of 
President of St. John's College, and pastor of St. 
John's Church, Frederick. But no human energy 
nor medical science could stay the progress of his 
disease. He died piously in the Lord on June 6, 
1859, scarcely forty-one years of age. 



CHAPTER VII 
Rev. Burchard Villiger, S. J. (1857-1858) 

ON August 15, 1857, Rev. Burchard Villiger, 
S. J., became the seventh President of Gonzaga 
College. His assistants were: Rev. Daniel 
Lynch, S. J., Vice-President and Professor of Poetry; 
Rev. Benedict Sestini, S. J., Professor of Natural 
Philosophy; Mr. Anselm M. Murphy, S. J., Mr. 
Edward X. Hand, S. J., Mr. John B. Mullally, 
S. J., Professors of Grammar Classes; Mr. Chas. K. 
Jenkins, S. J., Teacher of Rudiments; Bro. Cassian, 
S. J., Tutor in the Preparatory Department. 

Respect for the modesty of the living forbids an 
extended sketch of Father Villiger. His term of 
office lasted little more than nine months. For on 
his appointment to the office of Provincial of the 
Maryland Province he was succeeded on April 25, 
1858, by Rev. Charles H. Stonestreet, S. J. 



58 




Rev. Burchard Villiger, S. J. 



CHAPTER VIII 
Rev. Charles H. Stonestreet, S. J. (1858-1860) 

IF we were to divide the history of Gonzaga Col- 
lege into periods, the first period would be from 
its foundation as the Seminary in 1821, through 
its brief existence of six years, followed by the long 
silence of twenty- one years; the second period from 
1848, the year of its revival, till May 4, 1858, the 
year when it received its charter with power to con- 
fer degrees ; and the third period, from that time on- 
wards. We might call them the era of promise and 
of blight; the era of renewed life and of fulfilment; 
and the era of reward and acknowledged success. 

Long before the suppression of the Seminary in 
1827 the College authorities had been desirous of 
obtaining a legal charter entitling them to confer 
degrees, and when Fr. Keiley removed to Capitol 
Hill he labored hard to obtain this privilege for 
the short-lived Washington City College, which he 
founded; and, indeed, his failure to accomplish 
this was one reason for giving up his collegiate 
enterprise. After the restoration of the Seminary 
the Fathers determined to obtain recognition from 
Congress, and it was on the 4th of May, 1858, that 
their efforts were crowned with success. 

The bill was first presented in the Senate on 
January 21, 1858. It was twice read and referred 
to the Committee on the District of Columbia. On 
February 1 it was reported without amendment. 
On the same day it was presented in the House of 
Representatives, and, after several objections, was 

61 



62 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

referred to the Committee on the District. On 
April 30 it passed the House with some amend- 
ments, and on the same day received the approval 
of the Senate. By this bill Gonzaga College — no 
longer the Washington Seminary — received legal 
existence and "the right of conferring such degrees 
as are usually granted in colleges." The board of 
directors consisted of Burchard Villiger, Charles 
H. Stonestreet, Daniel Lynch, Edward X. Hand, 
and Charles K. Jenkins, "who are recognized as a 
body politic and corporate forever." The bill was 
signed by President Buchanan at 2 o'clock on the 
afternoon of May 4, 1858. In the diary of the 
College gratitude is expressed for the able and 
zealous manner in which Richard H. Clarke, Esq., 
labored for the successful passage of this bill. 

On the afternoon of May 5 the marks for the 
month of April were read, and Father Stonestreet, 
President of the College, announced that the Wash- 
ington Seminary had ceased to exist, and had been 
superseded by Gonzaga College. But although 
this doubtless was very good law, like many other 
law points, it was too delicate for popular compre- 
hension, and not even the elaborate charter, with 
the President's signature attached, nor the yearly 
catalogue, with the new title on the cover and first 
page, could do away with the word "Seminary," 
to which the epithet old was appended, no doubt 
as a term of endearment, and so the "Old Seminary" 
it was called until literally it had ceased to exist, 
swept away in the wild rush for statelier and more 
majestic structures in the fairest part of the fair 
city of Washington. 




Rev. Charles H. Stonestreet, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 65 

The monthly tickets for excellence in class-work 
were first distributed, bearing the new name Gon- 
zaga College, on June 9 of this year, 1858. 

Hitherto the property of the Seminary had been 
held in the name of Georgetown College, but now 
that Gonzaga stood legally on an equal footing with 
her elder sister, the property rightly hers was trans- 
ferred to her in due course of law. 

July 6th was commencement day, with a goodly 
number of speakers, in accordance with the cus- 
tom of the times — some sentimental, some his- 
torical, and some deeply reflective, while even the 
prophetic element seems not to have been wanting. 
The following is the programme of the first com- 
mencement of Gonzaga College : 

A. M. D. G. — Gonzaga College, D. C. — Annual Commence- 
ment, Tuesday, July 6, 1858, at 9 o'clock a.m. Music. "In- 
stability of Man's Temporal Advantages," John M. V. Davis. 
"Forget Me Not," Silas W. Dooley. "The Exile's Return," 
William Williams. Music. "The Ruins of Palmyra," William 
B. Pope. "Influence of Public Opinion," John M. Smith. 
Latin Ode, William C. Boone. "Retirement," Philip Julien. 
"Don Roderick," John C. Wilson. Music. "Contemplation 
of the Heavens," John W. Jones. "Moscow," William F. 
Quicksall. "The Pope and the Emperor," Ralph Jefferson. 
Greek Ode, John Hanna. Music. "Ambition," Albert A. 
Brooke. "The Future of America," George F. Murray. "The 
Dead Eagle," Charles C. Callan. Music. Distribution of 
Medals and Premiums. 

William F. Quicksall, who described no doubt 
admirably the beauty and romance of the old 
Russian capital, probably with observations on the 
Eastern question, still remains a devoted friend 
of the College, though his allegiance is divided, 



66 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

we fear, between Gonzaga, which first introduced 
him to the public, and Georgetown College, which 
gave the finishing touches to his moral and physi- 
cal training. There were 184 students at the Col- 
lege this year. 

The Faculty was as follows: Rev. Chas. H. 
Stonestreet, S. J., President; Rev. Daniel Lynch, 
S. J., Vice-President and Prefect of Studies; Rev. 
Benedict Sestini, S. J., Mr. Edward X. Hand, S. J., 
Mr. Anselm Murphy, S. J., Mr. John B. Mullaly, 
S. J., Mr. Chas. K. Jenkins, S. J., Brother Michael 
Cassian, S. J. 

Messrs. Jenkins and Mullaly, long since priests, 
alone survive. The former has been in Leonard- 
town, Md., since he was relieved of the presidency 
of the College in which he was in 1858 a young 
teacher. The latter is in Holy Cross College, as 
cheerful and as youthful in spirit as he was in Gon- 
zaga forty years ago. 

After classes were resumed in September, 1858, 
disappointment is expressed in the diary at the 
small number of boys who presented themselves on 
the opening day, some eighty in number. 

The Faculty remained very much the same as it 
was during the previous year, except that Messrs. 
Mullaly and Hand were succeeded by Messrs. Geo. 
T. Strong and Charles Bahan. The number steadily 
increased after the opening day, though the year's 
total never equalled the previous year. 

Much attention is given in the daily records to 
the construction of St. Aloysius' Church, then ap- 
proaching completion, but, as yet, it cannot prop- 
erly be said to form a part of the history of Gon- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 67 

zaga College. It is to be hoped that some future 
historian will narrate the zeal and sacrifice of the 
pastors and people who built that noble structure, 
and transmit to posterity the record of the splen- 
did functions which have taken place within its 
hallowed walls. 

On January 24, 1859, Father Stonestreet opened 
the House of Representatives with prayer. He 
was clothed in the Jesuit cassock with his beads 
hanging to his belt. Speaker Orr conducted him 
to the desk, where he made a magnificent sign of 
the cross and recited Archbishop Carroll's prayer 
for the authorities. Another bold, fearless sign of 
the cross closed the brief ceremony. 

About this time it was deemed expedient to give 
evening lectures twice or three times a week on the 
physical sciences. The reason assigned for this was 
that so many of our boys leave before completing the 
course that unless something of this kind were done 
they would not have the most rudimentary knowl- 
edge of necessary science. Father Lynch was the 
lecturer, and during the short time the lectures 
lasted they were very popular. 

On February 9, 1859, Father Stonestreet prayed 
in the Senate as he had done some two weeks before 
in the lower House. 

On Washington's Birthday of this year the Pho- 
cion Society, which had been founded four years 
previously under Fr. de Neckere, made its first 
public appearance before a few select invited guests. 
The following is a copy of the invitation: 



68 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Lex, Libertas, Salusque Gentis. 

You are respectfully invited to attend 

the first public celebration to be given by the 

Phocion Society 

of 
Gonzaga College, 

formerly Washington Seminary, on Tues- 
day, February 22, 1859, at 11 o'clock A. M. 

J . F. Guthrie, 

R. S. Jefferson, 

G. A. Donoho. 

Reader, Edward N. Gallon, D. G. Orator, John IT'. Jones, 
Indiana. 

Compliments of 

The celebration was held in the chapel of the 
college, which accounts for the limited number of 
invitations. The Sun of the following day thus 
notices it: "Master Edward N. Callan, in a beau- 
tiful manner, made a few remarks preceding the 
farewell address. John W. Jones, of Indiana, de- 
livered the oration, on the character of Washington, 
which was truly praiseworthy. As an orator, this 
young champion bids fair for the future. During 
the exercises delightful strains of music were poured 
forth by the celebrated Withers' band. The Phocion 
Society has conferred honor on itself by this cele- 
bration." 

Father Maguire was attached to the College on 
April 6. He came to be preacher in the new church, 
and this was the beginning of his splendid career in 
Washington. 

On July 5 the commencement was held in the 
Smithsonian Institute. Seventeen pieces were spoken, 




St. Aloysius' Church 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 7 1 

liberally interspersed with music, yet we are assured 
that the exercises lasted only from 8 till 11.15. 
Edward Callan, Win. Boone, Robert Holtzman, 
Robert Cleary, Wm. Quicksall, and John Hanna 
were among the speakers. The students numbered 
160, amongst whom were the two sons of Senator 
Douglas, called by his admirers "The Little Giant." 

The year 1859-60 began favorably with 109 
scholars. The new members of the faculty were 
Father Henry Hoban, S. J., and Mr. William Hamil- 
ton, S. J., to succeed Father Lynch, who, before the 
year closed, was transferred to St. Aloysius' Church, 
and Mr. Charles K. Jenkins, S. J. The class of 
rhetoric was opened with Father Stonestreet as 
professor. 

On October 16, 1859, St. Aloysius' Church was 
dedicated with impressive pomp and majestic splen- 
dor in presence of the President of the United States 
and other notables. 

There is no other event worthy of special men- 
tion during the remainder of this year. The annual 
commencement was again held on July 5, and in the 
Smithsonian, as in the previous year. The Mayor 
of Washington distributed the medals and premiums, 
while an address was made to the students by Thomas 
B. King, Esq., formerly a student of the old Seminary. 

This was the end of Father Stonestreet's career 
as President of Gonzaga. He was notified a few 
days after the commencement that the Very Rev. 
General of the Jesuits had accepted his resignation, 
and that a successor would be appointed without 
delay. 

Father Stonestreet was well known to the citizens 



72 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

of Washington, both before and after the term of 
his presidency. He had been Provincial of the 
Maryland Province, and was for many years con- 
nected with Georgetown College and Trinity Church, 
Georgetown. He was a man rarely gifted in 
mind and rich in anecdote. He was simple and sin- 
cere and of child-like simplicity and faith. He 
labored hard to improve the studies in Gonzaga, 
and his name will be forever associated with it as 
the founder of the Phocion Society. 



CHAPTER IX 
Rev. William Francis Clarke, S. J. (1860-1861) 

WHEN schools were opened in September, 
1860, the students found Father William 
Francis Clarke, S. J., President of the Col- 
lege, with the following Faculty: Rev. Henry Hoban, 
S. J., Vice-President; Rev. Edward T. McNerhany, 
S. J. ; Mr. Peter P. Fitzpatrick, S. J. ; Mr. William. 
Hamilton, S. J.; Mr. John A. Morgan, S. J.; Brother 
Cassian, S. J. There were two lay teachers besides. 
Father Clarke was a native of Washington, and 
had been a student in the old Seminary on that 
vSeptember morning in 1827 when Father Keiley, 
with his lay teachers, retreated to the old Capitol 
building on Capitol Hill. Afterwards he finished 
his education at Georgetown College, and entered 
the Society of Jesus. He had held many impor- 
tant offices before coming back to what might truly 
be called his alma mater, and had just laid down 
the government of Loyola College, Baltimore. He 
was a preacher of great learning and power, and 
the college boys of those days, and others, may still 
remember his glowing, gorgeous descriptions of 
heaven, and his soul-stirring word-painting of the 
horrors of hell, which sent them to confession be- 
fore they could go to bed. And some others in 
Baltimore may still remember, perhaps, the practi- 
cal result of a charity sermon of his, when rings 
and earrings and watches were passed into the col- 
lection box as the response to his appeal. He re- 
mained only about one year at Washington, to fill 
up the time until a regular successor should be 

73 



74 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

appointed to take the place of Father Stonestreet. 
After the commencement, which this year was 
private, in the small hall of the College, he re- 
turned to Baltimore, where he labored for over 
twenty years, coming back to Washington later 
to die. 






CHAPTER X 
Rev. Bernardin F. Wiget, S. J. (1861-1868) 

SCHOOLS were reopened on September 2, 1861, 
with Father Bernardin F. Wiget, S. J., as Presi- 
dent of the College. Only sixty-five boys pre- 
sented themselves on the opening day. It would not 
be difficult to explain this falling off in the number 
of students; it had other causes besides the excite- 
ment and unrest consequent upon the war, then a 
few months old; but Father Wiget was the one man 
to restore confidence and to crowd once more the 
class-rooms with anxious learners. There are many 
still living who remember Father Wiget 's genial 
face and whole-souled enthusiasm, which fired all 
who came into contact with him. And these living 
witnesses of his zeal and labor will be the first to 
acknowledge that his name is still a household word 
in many a home in Washington, and that he was a 
providential man raised up to guide Gonzaga College 
and the parish of St. Aloysius aright through perilous 
times and trying experiences. Few are the records 
left us about the first year of Father Wiget 's admin- 
istration. Father Lynch, who had been detailed to 
the church two years before, returned to the College, 
where he labored without further interruption till 
his death. 

In June, 1862, we note the first sign of uneasiness 
lest the beautiful new church of St. Aloysius, which 
had been erected at so great a cost and which was 
the pride of the Catholics of Washington, would be 
taken by the Government as a hospital for the 
wounded who were being brought into the city from 



78 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

the different battlefields. The United States Gov- 
ernment had already taken possession of several 
Protestant churches, and fears were felt that St. 
Aloysius' could not long escape. 

The annual commencement was held in the 
Smithsonian on July 7. 

The opening of the new scholastic year on Sep- 
tember 1 witnessed a large increase of applicants, 
almost double that of the opening in the previous 
year. One hundred and eighteen boys presented 
themselves. Father Wiget's influence was already 
beginning to be felt. The Faculty was composed 
of Father Bernardin F. Wiget, President; Father 
Henry Hoban, Vice-President; Fathers Lynch, Stone- 
street, Maguire, Roccofort, and Mr. Fitzpatrick, 
S. J. The last-named had been a pupil in the Col- 
lege in 1855. 

Hardly had schools reopened when, on September 
9, that which had been so long dreaded came to 
pass, and the Government demanded the surrender 
of St. Aloysius' Church as a hospital. Though, 
properly speaking, this forms no part of the his- 
tory of Gonzaga College, yet, on account of the 
share which Father Wiget bore in it, and on account 
of the spirit of generosity and self-sacrifice it occa- 
sioned amongst the parishioners of St. Aloysius, it 
can hardly be passed over with a mere statement of 
fact. And the most satisfactory method to follow 
is to relate the whole transaction in the words of 
Father Wiget himself. The following is an account 
he has written : 

"Sept. 9. Requisition was made for our Church 
to be used as a hospital for sick and wounded soldiers. 




Rev. Bernardin F. Wiget, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 8 1 

This demand was made by the medical military 
director in the name and, it is supposed, by the 
authority of the military governor, Wad worth. . . . 
Surgeon General Hammond was very courteous and 
seemed disposed to annul the order. Father DeSmet, 
S. J., then accidentally in Washington from his 
Indian missions, advised Father Wiget to promise a 
number of Masses for the souls in Purgatory if the 
Church should escape . Then flashed the idea through 
Father Wiget's mind to offer the Government to 
build a hospital instead of giving the Church. On 
the following day the preposition was made to the 
Government, and accepted. The plan was made for 
three buildings, each 24 feet wide and 200 feet long, 
the keys to be delivered in eight days. The Govern- 
ment agreed to supply as much lumber as would 
have been necessary to floor the church, but should 
battles be fought and wounded brought in during 
these eight days, then the Church would have to be 
used. On the 11th preparations were made, the 
people notified, the site for the buildings was selected 
by the medical authorities, northeast of the Church 
[this is a mistake — it should be northwest] on the 
next square, K Street. 

"Sept. 12. Early in the morning a large number 
of our good people were at the place of the proposed 
structure, impelled by zeal for the house of God, 
anxious to prevent injury to it and ready with their 
voluntary labor and money. Peter Gallant, master 
carpenter, offered his services free as architect, and 
a large number of mechanics and laborers of low and 
high degree, young and old, offered their free services, 
and at once the ground was broken and work begun. 



82 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

"This morning a gentleman asked a busily- 
digging gentleman-laborer: 'How is this work done— 
by contract or otherwise?' 'No contract here,' 
answered the other, 'each one pitches in as best he 
can — no pay.' 'Can I be of any service?' 'Of 
course; take the spade there and help me to dig.' 
The invitation was accepted and the newcomer 
worked hard and well all day. Next day we found 
out that it was Major General Stone, U. S. A. 

"Sunday, 14. Early Mass was said for the work- 
men and permission given to work on, for every 
hour the church might yet be lost. Few will ever 
forget that day; the number of the workmen, their 
zeal and alacrity in the work, even many a Protestant 
gave willing aid. The ladies during the whole time 
of the building provided abundant refreshments, 
and on Wednesday, the 17th, when the work was 
completed, they treated all to a joyful supper, for 
now the church was safe. On the 18th the keys were 
delivered to the Government, represented by Assist- 
ant Surgeon General Smith. So generous had been 
the contributions of the people that over six hundred 
dollars remained, which were applied to the paro- 
chial school. The Government, as a compliment 
for the prompt building of St. Aloysius' Hospital 
(for so at our request it was named), offered Father 
Wiget the chaplaincy of the hospital, which was 
accepted, and on the 9th of October next the com- 
mission was issued by the President, entitling him 
to a yearly salary of $1,800." 

Such is a brief account of an event which proves 
Father Wiget's power to inspire enthusiasm, and 
likewise speaks more than volumes for the zeal, 
piety and loyalty of the good people of St. Aloysius'. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 83 

As military chaplain we may say that Father 
Wiget was in his element, not merely because it 
suited his natural taste for display and ceremonies, 
but much more because it extended greatly the field 
of his usefulness, and enabled him to fortify many a 
poor soul for the last journey and to bring back 
many a prodigal to his Father's house. 

The Dramatic Association was established this 
year, and at the exhibition in Washington Theatre, 
on July 3, 1863, it made its first bow before the 
public, creating a great impression with Cardinal 
Wiseman's scholarly play of the " Hidden Gem." 

Schools opened on September 10, with 140 boys. 
On October 4, Father Wiget opened the girls' 
parochial school with the solemnity which was dear 
to him. All the Catholic schools and clergy of the 
District were invited to participate, speeches were 
made and bells were rung, and the girls' school on 
First Street, between I and K Streets, N. W., was 
inaugurated. 

The Phocion Society appears once more in the 
catalogue as having been reorganized during the 
previous scholastic year. Mr. Edward I. Devitt, 
S. J., was its first president, and to him its new life 
was due. The Juniors, jealous of the dramatic 
successes of their Seniors, started a dramatic asso- 
ciation of their own, and on April 15, 1864, delighted 
and amused their friends with the "Spectre Bride- 
groom" and the "Deaf Waiter." 

The Commencement was held July 6, in Ford's 
Theatre, with a play by the Seniors. 

We find 287 boys in the catalogue for 1862-'63. 
The war, then at its height, had no lasting evil 



84 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

effect upon the College. The following year shows 
still an increase, as the students numbered 308. 
The play appears to have been the regular enter- 
tainment for Commencement, and we think it must 
have been a gratifying improvement on the hours 
of speeches which had characterized the first ex- 
hibitions. 

In 1864 Father Emig became Vice-President. He 
is still well remembered as a man of tireless activity, 
whose whole soul was devoted to the welfare of the 
College and the progress of the students. He was 
admirable in the pulpit as a practical instructor, and 
those who were so fortunate as to have been his 
pupils will remember the painstaking earnestness 
with which he lighted up the intricacies of the 
Greek declensions and the labyrinths of Greek 
moods and tenses. His energy remained until he 
passed the fourscore mark, when he fell in harness, 
at his post, as it was most fitting he should do. 

Father Hitzelberger, the refined and polished 
speaker, and Mr. Keating, S. J., afterwards well 
known in Alexandria and Washington, as the gentle 
and considerate confessor, were attached to the 
College this year. The "Merchant of Venice" was 
given at Commencement at Gonzaga Hall, on July 
5, 1865. This is the first mention of Gonzaga Hall 
in the annals of the College ; and it may well be asked 
whence it came and whither has it gone ? It is the 
identical old hall or wooden shed, which until a 
year ago stood behind the present College on I 
Street, which is mentioned in the catalogue as 
Gonzaga Hall, on 10th and F Streets, where the 
commencement took place in 1865. This hall was 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 85 

a result of a fair held under Father Wiget to clear 
off the great debt of the new church of St. Aloysius. 
Spring Blossoms, a paper published during the fair, 
thus describes its origin: 

When the ladies who are conducting the grand fair at Gon- 
zaga Hall first signified their design of making an effort in 
behalf of St. Aloysius' Church, the selection of a place where 
the fair should be held was, of course, a subject of lively dis- 
cussion. After considerable deliberation, it was resolved to 
build a hah especially for the purpose, and the result was the 
construction of the spacious edifice in which the fair is now 
progressing. We believe that, with the exception of the sani- 
tary fair held several winters ago in a temporary fabric on the 
square at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh 
Street, this is the first time, in the city, that a fair has been 
gotten up of any like magnitude sufficient to justify the erec- 
tion of a building expressly designed for it. "Gonzaga Fair 
Hall" is located on the grounds attached to Gonzaga College 
on F Street, between Ninth and Tenth Streets, and is one 
hundred and twenty feet long by fifty feet wide; the height is 
thirty-one feet. 

Such is the description of the old hall which we all 
remember, and which still stands, shorn of some of 
its dimensions, a little to the northwest of the new 
Gonzaga Hall, which recently took its place. It was 
considered a great piece of work in its early infancy, 
but a thing of beauty it could never have been, since 
it was not a joy forever. As a fair hall it was indeed 
a creditable success, but as an academic hall or a 
collegiate appurtenance it was little better than an 
eyesore. And for many years hopes were expressed 
and prayers were said that it might yield to some- 
thing more appropriate. The hopes have been 
fulfilled and the prayers have been heard, and the 



86 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

much-lauded fair hall of 1865 has, we hope, found 
an abiding place after its numerous transportations. 

It would be tedious to enter into detail with regard 
to every event in Father Wiget's administration. 
He was a part of those eventful times, ceaseless, 
unwearied in his devotion to the College, in his zeal 
for the Church, in his untiring interest in the Indian 
missions of the far west. But it was by the bedside 
of the wounded and dying soldiers that he was most 
frequently to be found, consoling and strengthening; 
and his name became national on account of his 
spiritual ministrations to the poor woman (Mrs. 
Surratt) who suffered on the scaffold for the crimes 
of others. 

At the Commencement, July 2, 1867, the play is 
superseded by speeches and poems once again, but 
the programme is short, and the all-day exhibitions 
have passed away forever. 

The Annual Commencement, on July 1, 1868, is 
remarkable for the first conferring of degrees upon 
the students of Gonzaga College. The fortunate 
recipients were George N. Sullivan, John F. Cox, 
George Lloyd Magruder, William W. Boarman. 
John F. Cox delivered the valedictory oration. 
Hopes were cherished that this was only the begin- 
ning of a long line of graduates, but some few years 
were to pass before this ceremony should be repeated, 
and only once since that time has Gonzaga sent 
forth graduates. 

Not quite forgotten yet is the monster May pro- 
cession which Father Wiget planned and carried 
out successfully shortly before the close of his admin- 
istration. All the Catholic Churches of the city 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 87 

united together in one great May procession of the 
children. The public schools were closed in honor 
of the event, and even the government clerks ob- 
tained a half holiday to witness it. There were 
nearly two thousand children in line, with thirteen 
carriages containing the May Queens and their 
suites. Mary EcklofT, of St. Aloysius' Parish, now 
Mrs. T. A. Rover, was the principal queen. Father 
Wiget, in all his glory, was grand marshal. The 
procession was reviewed and treated most courte- 
ously by the President of the United States. 

Father Wiget 's great labors and constant activity 
began to tell upon his iron constitution, and imme- 
diately after this year's Commencement, 1868, he 
went to Europe in search of health. Father Stone- 
street was appointed President until such time as 
Father Wiget would be able to resume his duties. 
But Father Wiget never returned to Gonzaga. After 
some months spent in Europe, he returned and was 
sent to St. Thomas', Charles County, Md., where 
he labored till his death, a few years later. 

Father Wiget was essentially a man of action. 
He was probably the most successful President 
Gonzaga College ever had. He was a man suited 
to the times, and unconsciously he communicated 
the enthusiasm of his own nature to all who came 
in contact with him. He was loved and esteemed 
by all who enjoyed the honor of his acquaintance- 
ship. He well merited the eulogium of Mr. Seward, 
Secretary of State, that he was "a loyal citizen and 
a good friend." 



CHAPTER XI 
Rev. James Clark, S. J. (1868-1874) 

REV. Father Stonestreet acted as Rector until 
the appointment of Father James Clark, who 
had been a few years before President of 
Holy Cross College, Worcester, Alass. Father Clark 
had been an officer in the United States Army, 
having been educated at West Point, and a class- 
mate of General Robert E. Lee. He was essentially 
a military man, sparing of speech and devoted to 
duty. He was much esteemed by his old companions 
in arms, and more than once after he had become a 
Jesuit he was appointed to the board of West Point 
inspectors. He undertook the Presidency of Gon- 
zaga College at a very critical period in the history 
of that institution. The new scholasticate or house 
of study for the young Jesuits had just been opened 
at Woodstock, and all the scholastics who had been 
delayed in their course were gathered in from the 
colleges and sent to Woodstock to pursue the courses 
of philosophy and theology. Thus the colleges were 
compelled to engage secular teachers in their stead, 
and the proceeding did not meet with the favor of 
parents who wished their children to be under 
religious influences. This accounts partially at least 
for the falling off noticeable in the catalogues at 
this time. When schools opened in September the 
boys numbered only 117, quite a decrease after the 
hundreds of the preceding years. Nor was this 
number much increased during the scholastic year. 
The number in the following year rose to about 

88 




Rev. James Clark, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 9 1 

145, and so it remained for several years, a few more 
or a few less; but never since has it risen to the 
multitudes that besieged the College during Father 
Wiget's administration. 

The College Hall, formerly Gonzaga Fair Hall, 
was the ordinary place for the yearly commence- 
ments, and amongst the speakers on July 3, 1871, 
there was E. Carroll Morgan, who afterwards 
became famous as a physician in his specialty of 
throat diseases, and Leon Tobriner, one of the ablest 
lawyers of the present day in the City of Washington. 
He has been conspicuous for the interest he takes in 
everything pertaining to the welfare of the College; 
and when a short time ago the Alumni Association 
was formed, he was one of the first to put down his 
name and to promise substantial help towards fitting 
up the new hall. 

At the exhibition of 1871 an announcement was 
made that marked a new phase in the life of the 
College, whether for better or worse, it is impossible 
yet, even after twenty-six years, to determine. It 
was published that the building hallowed by so 
many memories, in which from 1821 so many of 
Washington's best citizens had been educated, 
would be closed forever. The name had been 
changed from the Seminary to Gonzaga College, 
and now the place likewise had to be changed; 
and in the catalogue for 1871 it is stated that "the 
exercises of Gonzaga College will be resumed on 
Monday, September 4, 1871, at its new site on I 
Street, between North Capitol and First Streets N. 
W., near St. Aloysius' Church." There were many 
who considered this change of site a serious blow 



92 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

to the College, and certainly nothing, since the 
transfer, has occurred to demonstrate its advantage- 
ousness. The old building was in the very heart of 
the city, easily accessible from every part of it and 
the surrounding country; the new site was on the 
outskirts of the city, towards which there has been 
no extensive growth, and consequently no easy or 
rapid methods of approach. Nearly twenty years 
before, Mr. Ambrose Lynch, the father of Rev. 
Daniel Lynch, S. J., so long connected with Gonzaga 
College, had donated a large tract of land between 
North Capitol and First Streets N. W., to the Jesuit 
Fathers for a church and college. The church 
was built and opened in 1859, and now the time 
seemed to be propitious for opening the college 
there also. Not the whole square on which St. 
Aloysius' Church now stands had been given to 
the Jesuits by Mr. Lynch; the western portion of 
it had been donated for an orphan asylum under 
the control of trustees, of which the pastor of St. 
Patrick's Church was chairman. In process of 
time the place was found unsuitable for the pur- 
poses of an asylum, and the property was sold to 
the Sisters of Mercy, who, with characteristic 
energy, put up a building and started an academy 
about the middle of the north side of I Street, ■ 
between North Capitol and First Streets. The 
whole country about them was little more than a 
prairie at that time. There were only a few houses 
sparsely scattered about, and only by courtesy, on 
account of propinquity to the city and inclusion 
within the corporation limits, could the highways 
and byways in the immediate neighborhood be 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 95 

called streets. For a few years the sisters labored 
on, since there was a hope that the long-expected 
extension of the city would take that direction — 
out by North Capitol Street — but their hopes were 
doomed to disappointment. Towards the north- 
west the city extended itself, and the wise sisters 
said that the time was not ripe for an academy in 
that direction; and so they were compelled to sell 
their property and return to Baltimore. Gonzaga 
College eventually became the purchaser of the 
building and property of the sisters, and here schools 
were opened in September, 1871. 

From the catalogue we should judge that during 
this first year on I Street the College was far from 
complete organization. From its pages disappeared 
records of sodalities, dramatic societies, and such 
like organizations, and once more the Phocion 
Society, already the object of frequent resuscitation, 
is in a condition of complete somnolence. Nothing 
important seems to have occurred during the year 
save the Annual Commencement on July 3, 1872. 
There is the quiet of peace, and there is also the 
quiet of death; the tranquillity of Gonzaga, during 
this, its first year in the new site, looked dangerously 
like the latter. In 1872 we find the Phocion Society 
again mentioned, but it exhibits no further signs of 
life. The sodalities were also reorganized. The 
year 1874 is remarkable for the fact that for the second 
time, and up to the present, for the last time in 
its history, Gonzaga conferred degrees upon its 
graduates. There were three who, this year, re- 
ceived the highest honors from their alma mater — 
E. Carroll Morgan, Leon Tobriner, and Albert A. 



96 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Clements. But we can hardly judge this to be a 
sign of renewed prosperity, as year after year the 
number of students is constantly decreasing, and 
even in this year, when collegiate honors are con- 
ferred, the total list of students is scarcely one 
hundred. It was a dangerous experiment to have 
removed Gonzaga at this critical period in its history, 
and the struggle for existence was to go on for many 
years yet to come. Father James Clark was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. Charles K. Jenkins, S. J., at the 
beginning of the scholastic year of 1874-75. 



CHAPTER XII 
Rev. Charles K. Jenkins, S. J. (1874-1881) 

WHEN Father Jenkins came to Gonzaga as 
President, he found things at an extremely 
low ebb. There were about seventy boys 
attending the College, while the three years' expe- 
rience of the new site seemed to prove the impossibil- 
ity of establishing a college there. Besides, owing to 
the changes of the past few years and the temporary 
depreciation of property, and the expenses consequent 
upon the opening of the new church and the furnish- 
ing of the new college, a debt truly enormous rested 
upon church, school, and college, and Father Jenkins 
was called upon to face difficulties such as these. 

The Annual Commencement was held at the 
Masonic Temple on June 29, 1875, and among the 
speakers on that occasion was William A. Lackey, 
who has since won fame as an actor under the name 
of Wilton Lackaye. 

There is little to be recorded during the succeed- 
ing years. Father Jenkins' presidency was a long- 
continued battle against the debt that weighed the 
College down and hindered its progress. Yet it 
must be said that he fought his battle well. He 
saw one crying need in the parish, and he determined 
at every sacrifice to better provide for the educa- 
tion of the girls of the parish. This was Father 
Jenkins' chief ambition, and time has demon- 
strated how wisely he has provided, and posterity 
will no doubt consider this single achievement of 
his one of the wisest in the history of St. Aloysius' 
Parish. The education of boys was already suffi- 
ciently well provided for by the parochial school, 

97 



9<S HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

and the College for those who aspired higher. An 
attempt had been made years before, under the 
Sisters of Mercy, to found an academy for girls, 
but it had proved to be premature. Father Jen- 
kins realized that the proper training of the girls 
meant the refinement and the happiness of the 
homes of the future. People were amazed that 
with his great debt he should engage in another 
enterprise involving an outlay of many thousands; 
but he was deaf to all remonstrances, being confident 
that Providence would not permit him to fail in a 
work of such importance for the sanctity of the 
home and the glory of God. He succeeded, and 
the girls' school of Notre Dame, at the corner of 
North Capitol and Myrtle Streets N. E., is the 
testimonial of his zeal and the assurance of his 
success. It has had, probably, a more refining 
influence upon the parish than anything else since 
the foundation of the church. 

We cannot say that at this time the College was 
either prosperous or its prospects promising, though 
connected with it are the names of several dear to 
many a heart in the parish of St. Aloysius. There 
we see Father Forhan, who ministered and con- 
soled by many a sad death-bed; Father Scanlan, 
unwearied in visiting the sick; Father Stephen 
Kelly, who resuscitated so many societies connected 
with the church; Father Daniel Lynch, the link 
between the past and future, who had seen the rise 
of the Seminary, its fall, its new birth as Gonzaga 
College, who had seen as many as five hundred 
boys crowding its rooms and corridors, and who 
now, it would seem, was witnessing its decline. 




Rev. Charles K. Jenkins, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 101 

But there were some who were not discouraged by 
this sad state of things. They believed that the 
northeast section of the city would grow into great- 
ness, and that, after many years perhaps, Gonzaga 
would regain the confidence of the public if it could 
only brave the present difficulties and wait until 
the class-rooms could be manned as they had been 
before the scholasticate was opened at Woodstock. 
In 1879 scholastics returned once more to teach in 
the College, and amongst them were Mr. Cornelius 
Gillespie, now President, and Mr. Arthur Mac- 
Avoy, who was associated so many years and so 
favorably with the institution. With their coming 
new life seemed to be infused into the dried bones, 
and the various societies, which had been apparently 
dead for so many years, sprang forth into renewed 
life. Still once again the Phocion Society was 
reorganized, and Mr. MacAvoy became its director 
and life-giving spirit. He also superintended the 
production of the play of "Sebastian, or the Roman 
Martyr" at the annual commencement, on June 23, 
1880, held in Gonzaga Hall; and men began to 
believe that the tide had turned and that the new 
Gonzaga would soon be as famous as the old had 
been. The last year of Father Jenkins' rectorship 
opened promisingly with 123 boys. Nothing event- 
ful occurred during this year, until June 21, when 
Rev. Robert Fulton was installed as new Rector of 
the College. 

Father Jenkins was sent to Leonardtown, Md., 
where he has remained ever since. The girls' 
school will remain as a lasting memorial of his zeal, 
and the grateful memories of those who labored 
under him should be ever a consolation to him. 



CHAPTER XIII 
Rev. Robert Fulton, S. J. (1881-1882) 

REV. Robert Fulton, the thirteenth President 
of Gonzaga College, was installed in office on 
the feast of St. Aloysius, June 21, 1881. At 
the order of his Provincial, Father Fulton laid down 
the weighty charge of Superior of St. Lawrence's 
Church, 84th Street, New York City, to assume 
the still weightier one of Rector of Gonzaga College 
and Pastor of St. Aloysius' Church. 

The new Rector was a man of indomitable energy 
and great executive ability, and had acquired the 
reputation of being a successful financier. Hence 
the reason of his appointment to his new position. 

On assuming the duties of his office he was con- 
fronted by a deplorable state of affairs. The debt, 
as he stated in his circular to the congregation, 
amounted to at least $192,000 in round numbers, 
the expenditure was greater than the income, which 
was less than the item for interest alone. Thus 
the debt was being annually increased by some 
thousands. The outlook was dark and discouraging, 
and the task he had undertaken of liquidating the 
debt was a most arduous one. But difficulties 
which might have filled with dismay men of more 
than ordinary courage, only whetted the edge of 
Father Fulton's activities and fired his ambition. 

One day while on his begging tour through the 
parish, accompanied by his "fidus Achates," Father 
O'Connell, he came upon a man digging in a sewer 
on a torrid day in the summer months. Father 

102 




Rev. Robert Fulton, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 105 

Fulton paused for a moment, and looking down at 
the grimy son of toil, asked him in pathetic tones 
how much he was making a day. The laborer 
answered: "One dollar a day, your Reverence." 
"Oh!" said Father Fulton, "pray change with me. 
I have delved thus far to-day in harder soil and 
haven't made a copper." 

By the sale of property, and by careful manage- 
ment, the debt was reduced during the course of 
the year about $100,000. The result is easily stated, 
but who could count the hours of unremitting labor 
and the waste of brain tissue it all entailed on the 
man who achieved this result. 

While Father Fulton was occupied in reckoning 
these accounts, he did not forget the important end 
for which he had undertaken this burden of material 
work, namely, the education of youth. He found 
that the progress of the classes toward the goal of 
graduation was worse than the advance of Sisyphus 
up the mountain of hopeless toil, for the boys dropped 
out of the course as soon as they reached the higher 
classes. The previous year there was a class of 
Poetry, but there was an interstitial void between 
Poetry and Second Grammar. Hence the highest 
class when Father Fulton came into office was First 
Grammar. This year the name of Humanities for 
the three classes between Poetry and Rudiments was 
dropped and the name Grammar classes substituted 
instead. The year opened with 104 boys, a falling 
off from the previous year, but the standard of the 
classes was satisfactory. 

We observe also a change in the officers of the 
Phocion Society. The previous year and before 



106 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

that, the Rector of the College was President of 
the Society (the title was merely an honorary one) , 
and the presiding officer was called "Moderator." 
Now the Rector's name disappears from the roll 
of officers, and the moderator is styled president. 

The Phocion Society gave signs of healthy and 
active life. The debates were spirited, and held 
with religious regularity. While they cultivated the 
art of forensic debate with laborious pains, the 
members did not lose sight of the wise caution of 
the sage, "Mens sana in corpore sano." The society, 
in company with their beloved and amiable president, 
Father MacAvoy, made many an excursion together 
by field and flood. Their chronicler tells us that at 
one time they went in rowboats to the "Four Mile 
Run, an awful pull." 

In the summer of this year there occurred one of 
those terrific wind and electric storms which Wash- 
ington witnesses from time to time. It happened 
while Father Fulton was attending the exhibition 
at St. John's College. Houses were unroofed and 
trees uprooted in many localities, and the cross on 
the front of St. Aloysius' Church was struck by 
lightning and thrown to the ground. 

Father Fulton's tenure of office in the rectorship 
of Gonzaga was brief, but it inaugurated an era of 
eminently successful men at the head of affairs, 
who were prudent and progressive, removed the 
incubus of debt, and established the College on a 
permanent basis. Father Fulton was transferred 
at the close of the year from the office of President 
of Gonzaga College to the position of Provincial of 
the Maryland-New York Province, and Rev. John 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 107 

J. Murphy, S. J., succeeded him in guiding the 
destinies of Gonzaga College. 

It may be interesting to the reader to learn some- 
thing more in detail of the life and character of the 
great man to whom Gonzaga College owes so much. 

Robert Fulton was born on the soil of Virginia, 
which has in the past produced so many truly 
great men. At Alexandria, June 28, 1826, he first 
saw the light of day. "His father was a sturdy 
Presbyterian, his mother a devout Catholic. Robert 
was a scion of a race that has played an important 
part in the nation's history, being related to ex- 
President Harrison, and the late Governor Wise of 
Virginia. His grandfather, on the mother's side, 
was an O'Brien, at one time a prominent diplomat 
in the service of the United States." [Woodstock 
Letters.] 

Young Robert was left fatherless in his seventh 
year; but, thank God, not motherless! His mother 
was a woman of strong and deep faith and remark- 
able force of character. Her influence helped to 
direct the current of Robert's life to the noblest 
ends. Father Fulton was a man of strong con- 
victions and fearless in expressing them. He had 
a marked personality and impressed ah who came 
in contact with him as being an extraordinary man. 
He was exceedingly sensitive, which made him 
somewhat brusque and awkward in dealing with 
persons who had uncautiously wounded his sen- 
sibilities. 

There was a deep vein of pathos in the man's 
nature concealed by a careless and neglected exterior. 
He was possessed of a droll humor, was quick at 



108 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

repartee, and had remarkable conversational powers. 
Once the flow of conversation began he was emi- 
nently entertaining, instructive and amusing. He 
talked better than he wrote, excepting his letters, 
which were models of the epistolary style; and you 
could say of them, "The style is the man." 

He idolatrously worshipped the classic writers 
and showed a rare appreciation of the beauty and 
elegance of the prince of Latin lyrists, "good old 
Horace." To see and hear Father Fulton talk, 
you would imagine you were in the Fleet Street 
Inn with Goldsmith, Sheridan and Garrick listen- 
ing to Dr. Johnson entertaining his friends. If he 
believed in the precept, "study one book," that 
book was Boswell's Life of Johnson. He was a 
composite of the brusque Johnson and the gentle, 
kindly Charles Lamb. He may have been less 
than both, but he was at the same time more. He 
had a heritage of the zeal of St. Paul, his Christ- 
like sympathy, and a strong personal love for the 
God-Man. Father Fulton was recognized by the 
wits of the literary world of Boston as a peer of the 
greatest. The story is told that the author of the 
"Autocrat of the Breakfast Table" once met Father 
Fulton at a dinner, and he exclaimed, "Why, Father 
Fulton, are you here, too?" "Yes," replied Father 
Fulton, "all" that's left of me." "Well," said the 
genial Holmes, "either you or I must get out; this 
place is too small for both of us." When some 
years later Dr. Holmes learned that Father Fulton 
was about to bid adieu to "cultured Boston," he 
expressed his regret to a mutual friend, saying: 
"I am very sorry, indeed, for Father Fulton is 
among the very brightest men of Massachusetts." 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 109 

The "facundia dicendi" of Father Fulton was 
fed by constant reading. Literature was his forte, 
and as a rule he read literary works. He was 
indeed a voracious reader. No matter how busy 
he was, and he was a very busy man, he always 
found time to read. Some books he read parallel- 
wise, and others diagonally down the page. When 
he found a rare bit of literature the relish of his 
enjoyment was marked by a sensible glow of delight. 
This relish he retained even to decrepit age. He 
read much, and remembered well what he had 
read. His advice given to a young man seeking 
direction from him was: "Avoid slang, keep good 
company, read good books, write carefully, speak 
carefully at all times and in all places. Why, 
bless your soul," he continued, tapping his snuff- 
box in a playful manner, "from my eleventh year 
I have formulated my every sentence previous to 
utterance, and as a boy was more scrupulous about 
the grammar than about the Commandments." 
This last statement must not be taken literally. 
It was probably suggested by his love of saying 
striking things. 

Father Fulton was always a warm friend and 
father and wise counsellor to young men, and his 
name will ever live in benediction in the Young 
Men's Association of Boston College. 

Father Fulton held the highest offices of respon- 
sibility in the Province, and worn out with labor, 
and with health impaired, he was compelled to 
seek a much needed rest. 

But the day of rest came too late. He was a 
constant sufferer, and was obliged by the physicians 



1 10 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

to seek a milder and more even climate. He retired 
to Santa Clara College, California, where he died 
of apoplexy on the 4th of September, 1893. His 
ashes lie in the humble graveyard of Santa Clara, 
and a simple cross marks the last resting place of a 
man to whom can be justly attributed the qualities 
which the greatest of Roman orators attributed to the 
greatest of Roman generals — Labor in negotiis, 
fortitudo in periculis, industria in agendo, celeritas 
in conficiendo, consilium in providendo. 



CHAPTER XIV 
Rev. John J. Murphy, S. J. (1882-1885) 

THE scholastic year 1882-83 opened auspi- 
ciously under the new President, with Fr. 
Patrick H. Brennan, S. J., as Minister, Frs. 
Hugh L. Magevney, S. J., James Noonan, S. J., and 
Patrick J. O'Connell, S. J., in the parish, and Fr. 
Daniel Lynch, S. J., Messrs. Wm. B. Brownrigg, 
S. J., Cornelius Gillespie, S. J., Francis P. Powers, 
S. J., Joseph A. Mattson, S. J., and Arthur J. Mac- 
Avoy, S. J., in the College. 

Fr. John J. Murphy was born in Ireland on the 
17th of January, 1844. He had studied theology 
in the famous seminary of Maynooth, and already in 
those early days gave great promise of a brilliant 
future. Actuated by the spirit of apostolic zeal, he 
left Ireland for the shores of America and entered 
the Society of Jesus in 1866. He finished his 
novitiate and preliminary studies at Frederick, 
Maryland, and taught in Boston College and at 
Holy Cross. After having spent a short time in 
reviewing his theology at Woodstock he was ordained 
in 1874 by the late Cardinal Archbishop of Balti- 
more. Georgetown College was the first field of 
his labors as a priest, and his enthusiasm, energy 
and literary taste gained him many encomiums from 
his superiors as well as from the students and the 
outside world that came within his whole-souled 
influence, and produced an enduring effect on the 
College, which is still gratefully remembered by his 
former boys. He was for a time professor of Scrip- 

lii 



1 1 2 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

ture at Woodstock College and then became pastor 
of Trinity Church, Georgetown. He held important 
offices successively at Worcester, Frederick, and 
Woodstock, and at length in 1882 entered on a 
sphere of greater usefulness as President of Gonzaga 
College. He was a man of commanding personal 
appearance, of correct judgment, ready wit, and 
sparkling humor. He was not long in the national 
capital before he became one of the best known and 
most highly esteemed clergymen in the city, and 
while his intellectual ability drew around him the 
thoughtful and the learned, his genial, hearty and 
sympathetic nature gained for him an entrance 
into the hearts of all. 

Fr. Murphy continued the work begun by Fr. 
Fulton, and carried out the plan of reducing the debt 
on the church and bringing it down to a figure that 
could be borne without overmuch trouble. He 
manifested great zeal in the care of the souls com- 
mitted to his care, encouraging Fr. Magevney in a 
course of lectures on the Church, and urging the 
parishioners to be more diligent in attending at 
the various services in the church. In April, 1883, 
during the first year of Fr. Murphy's rectorship, 
there was celebrated in St. Aloysius' Church with 
great pomp and splendor the golden jubilee of the 
Maryland-New York Province and the two hundred 
and fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the first 
Jesuit missionaries in the United States. In 1633 
Fr. Andrew White and Fr. Altham landed on the 
shores of Maryland and established the first mission 
of the Society of Jesus, and with Lord Baltimore 
helped to plant the standard of civil and religious 




Rev. John J. Murphy, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 115 

liberty in the New World. After the restoration 
of the Society, the Jesuits sprang up once more 
in the place made sacred by the footprints of their 
pioneer missionaries, and hallowed by the labors 
and sufferings of their brethren, and progressed so 
rapidly that, in 1833, Superiors at Rome raised 
the mission of Maryland to the rank of a province 
of the Society of Jesus, under Fr. Wm. McSherry 
as first provincial. These two great events, in 
the opinion of the Provincial, deserved to be cele- 
brated with more than a passing mention. Accord- 
ingly Fr. Fulton issued a letter requiring all the 
superiors of the various houses of the Province to 
honor the anniversary by a Novena and a solemn 
High Mass with appropriate discourse and Te 
Deum. Fr. Murphy entered into the spirit of the 
occasion, and the 15th of April was solemnized 
in St. Aloysius' Church with a pomp and splendor 
such as had rarely been witnessed before. Rev. 
Francis McCarthy, S. J., was celebrant, Rev. 
P. J. O'Connell, S. J., deacon, Rev. C. Gillespie, 
S. J., subdeacon, Rev. A. J. MacAvoy, S. J., master 
of ceremonies. Fr. Murphy preached. 

The influence of Fr. Murphy was felt no less in 
the College than in parish matters. He established 
a well-drilled and well -organized corps of Cadets. 
There were four companies in the battalion in 1883, 
and they conferred great credit on themselves and 
the College by their correct deportment and exact 
knowledge of military tactics on the various occa- 
sions when they appeared in public. During this 
second year of Fr, Murphy's rule the Cadets ac- 
quired their new armory in the college building, 



1 1 6 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

and later on they cast aside their old muskets, 
which they had obtained from Georgetown College, 
for the new guns furnished by the United States 
arsenal. Owing to his knowledge of boys' nature, 
Fr. Murphy encouraged athletic sports of all kinds, 
and in the records of his day we have accounts of 
the fervor with which the Gonzaga boys indulged 
in football and baseball. 

On April 2, 1884, occurred the death of Fr. Daniel 
Lynch, S. J. Born in County Meath, Ireland, 
March 7, 1813, he came to this country with his 
father about the year 1817. Having laid the founda- 
tion of his education at the old Washington Semi- 
nary on F Street, he went to Georgetown College, 
where he completed his course of studies, graduating 
in 1835. That same year he entered the Society of 
Jesus, was ordained in 1845, and after teaching for 
several years in Georgetown, Holy Cross, and 
Frederick, came in 1858 to Gonzaga, where, with 
the exception of one year spent in St. Francis Xavier's 
College, New York City, he passed the remaining 
years of his life. Fr. Lynch was an earnest man 
and a most indefatigable worker in all that he 
undertook, whether in the field of parish work or 
in the classroom. He was an excellent linguist, 
having become proficient in many modern languages 
as well as the ancient tongues. In the long period 
during which he was connected with Gonzaga 
College, he amazed successive generations of students 
by the extent and thoroughness of his learning, and 
exerted an enduring influence on all who came in 
contact with his energetic nature. He was an 
indomitable student, finding his delight in books, 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 117 

and an accomplished teacher capable of inspiring 
his scholars with a love of learning and zeal in its 
pursuit. His name will be held in grateful remem- 
brance by his former students and by all who have 
at heart the welfare of Gonzaga College. His 
obsequies were held in St. Aloysius' Church and 
were attended by the faculty of the College and a 
host of sorrowing friends. 

The last year of Fr. Murphy's rectorship opened 
with 130 boys. During this year as well as in the 
two preceding years, Fr. Murphy exerted his influ- 
ence over the boys by his visits to the several class- 
rooms and his earnest exhortations to the students 
at the monthly reading of marks. Himself a familiar 
student and an enthusiastic admirer of the Latin 
and Greek classics, he sought to instil into the 
youthful minds committed to his care a love for those 
undying masters of thought and style, and in the 
meetings of the faculty he encouraged the professors 
of the College in carrying out the grand principles 
of the Jesuit method of teaching, which had served 
to form the youth of many countries and had gained 
such renown for the Jesuit Society. 

On October 19, 1884, occurred the twenty-fifth 
anniversary of the opening of St. Aloysius' Church, 
and this event was celebrated by a solemn High 
Mass sung by Rev. Fr. Doonan, President of George- 
town College. Archbishop Gibbons was present in 
the sanctuary and preached during the Mass. 

The unremitting labors of Fr. Murphy during 
these three years at Gonzaga, in preaching and 
giving retreats, and in his efforts to reduce the 
debt on the church, brought on the first attacks of 



118 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

an illness which remained with him for many 
years. 

Upon leaving Gonzaga, he became President of 
St. Francis Xavier's College, New York, where he 
remained for three years, afterwards going to 
Georgetown to teach Philosophy. He was next 
transferred to the "Messenger" force as writer, 
and later became pastor of Trinity Church, Wash- 
ington, D. C, where he died. Of all who followed 
him to his last resting place, there were none who 
felt for him more sincere grief than did those who 
had learned to know and love him while he was 
Rector of Gonzaga College. Fr. Murphy was suc- 
ceeded on July 31, 1885, by Rev. Edward A. Mc- 
Gurk. 



CHAPTER XV 
Rev. Edward A. McGurk, S. J. (1885-1890) 

THE examinations held at the close of this 
year's first session were voted successful, and 
though there was much room for complaint at 
dearth of numbers, the teachers derived some little 
consolation from the excellence of quality manifested 
among the students. All through the records of 
these times the frequency with which Rev. Father 
McGurk is reported lecturing in neighboring and 
distant churches is something worthy of note. This 
circumstance is a high tribute to the reputation he 
must have enjoyed in the field of oratory and elo- 
quence. On February 9, 1886, Mrs. Barbour, the 
wife of Representative Barbour, of Virginia, was 
buried from the church, the occasion bringing 
thither many of Washington's notables, and thus 
published the beauties of our solemn services to a 
host of strangers to the truth. 

Good Father Maguire, the idol of the people of St. 
Aloysius, where a decade of years before he had so 
creditably filled the pulpit and attracted large and 
distinguished audiences to his sermons, was again 
with the people he loved, and seemed destined to 
close his eventful and saintly life in their midst. 
But Providence had another fate in store for him. 
From the beginning of the year he had been deliver- 
ing catechetical lectures to the students and edify- 
ing the parishioners with the sublime discourses 
that even yet linger in the memories of our oldest 
inhabitants. His sixty-eighth birthday was duly 

119 



1 20 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

kept in the College on Thursday, February 11, and 
on April 7 he visited Baltimore to conduct a Triduum 
in the Cathedral. At the close of the Triduum he 
journeyed to Philadelphia, intending to give a mis- 
sion or retreat of eight days in that city. But death 
followed close at his heels. During his absence 
frequent mention is made in the College records of 
the regret the boys experienced at missing his 
weekly talks. The old women of the parish, whom 
he kindly allowed to surreptitiously enjoy his 
discourses, longed for his return. But on Monday, 
April 11, the members of the little community were 
thrown into consternation and grief by the sudden 
announcement that Father Maguire lay dying in 
St. Joseph's Hospital, Philadephia. He had finished 
but one or two days of his mission in that city when 
he was obliged to surrender to a disease that made 
rapid progress in his weakened frame. He lingered 
in great pain till Easter Monday, April 26, when he 
died piously in the Lord about noon. A delegation 
of parishioners went to Philadelphia next morning to 
convey his remains back to the city and give the 
children of his early years an opportunity to testify 
the affection with which they cherished their father's 
virtues. All day and far into the night people 
streamed towards the foot of the altar to take a last 
sad look at his beloved features and hold their 
children high in air to help them bid a last farewell 
to the saintly man. Truly he deserved all the depth 
of feeling entertained for him. He was a friend to 
the rich and poor alike. He was a giant intel- 
lectually and spiritually, and the writer even yet 
remembers the impression his tall, straight figure 




Rev. Edward A. McGurk, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 1 2 3 

created in passers-by when he walked the streets; 
he remembers the hush that came over the con- 
gregation when Sunday after Sunday this man of 
God made St. Aloysius ring with the slow and 
measured words of truly apostolic eloquence. Father 
Maguire was laid to rest with his brethren of the 
Society in the little graveyard at Georgetown College 
on Wednesday, April 28. A vast assemblage of 
church dignitaries, together with men, women and 
children, followed his remains through the city. 

This was a busy year financially. Father Mc- 
Gurk had set his heart on rearing a residence less 
unworthy of the priests and scholastics than the 
old quarters in the College building. He was, 
moreover, determined to incur no new debts, and 
therefore had to exert every enegry and call into 
requisition every possible scheme for the accumu- 
lation of a sufficient sum. On May 26 his plans 
first began to assume shape. On that day a corps 
of diggers set to work and soon had the excavations 
for the new building well under way. But funds 
were not forthcoming, and the building dragged on 
and on until it was finally ready for occupancy 
only a little more than a year later. The com- 
munity moved into the new house on August 1, 
1887. The residence itself is a credit to the taste 
and business ability of Father McGurk and an 
abiding monument to the generosity of the people 
of St. Aloysius' Parish. 

The annual retreat for the boys was begun on 
Tuesday, May 11, 1886. Father Francis Ryan, 
S. J., of Baltimore, conducted the exercises. 

Commencement exercises were held in the National 



124 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Theatre at 2.30 p. m. General Rosecrans addressed 
the students and distributed the prizes. 

The year of 1886-1887 opened on Monday, 
September 6, with eighty-seven boys in attendance 
and the following staff : 

Rev. Edward A. McGurk, S. J., President; Mr. 
Edward P. Spillane, S. J., Rhetoric and Poetry; 
Mr. James F. X. Mulvaney, S. J., First Grammar 
and Second Grammar; Mr. Myles A. McLaughlin, 
S. J., Third Grammar; Mr. John A. Moore, S. J., 
Rudiments; Mr. Joseph A. Mattson, S. J., English. 

On Tuesday there were ninety boys present, and 
during the rest of the year numbers scarcely increased. 
These were dark times in the history of Gonzaga, 
sad contrasts to earlier days in her history when she 
could count 250 pupils at an opening and could look 
forward to a large increase between September and 
the ensuing June. But her destinies were in the 
hands of men who had been taught the lesson of 
hope and had learned the lesson well. They worked 
away when things were most unpromising and 
devoted all their energies to the task of resurrecting 
Gonzaga. This year Rev. Peter Cassidy was ap- 
pointed professor extraordinary of elocution and 
brought much talent and zeal to the work. On 
October 10 the Church of St. Joseph, on Capitol 
Hill, one of the works in which Father Wiget, of 
happy memory, interested himself, was transferred 
to the Cardinal and put in the hands of Father 
Schmitt, a secular. October 13, the feast of St. 
Edward, was kept as Rector's day, and the boys 
acquitted themselves of a very creditable literal 
programme. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 125 

Several distinguished scholars gave a series of 
lectures to the friends of the College during this 
half of the school year, among them being the Rev. 
J. Havens Richards of Woodstock College and the 
Rev. Daniel J. MacGoldrick of the College staff. 
On March 5 word was received at the College of the 
death of Very Rev. Peter Beckx, General of the 
Society of Jesus, and on Wednesday, March 16, 
solemn funeral services were held in the church in 
his honor. Dr. Chapelle (Now Archbishop of Santa 
Fe) preached an eloquent sermon on the occasion. 
Father Cassidy opened a retreat for the College 
boys on Monday, March 28. The year closed with 
the usual exercises in Harris' Bijou Theatre on 
Tuesday, June 28. 

The third year of Father McGurk's administra- 
tion opened most inauspiciously indeed. On Mon- 
day, September 5, fifty-seven boys presented them- 
selves for admission. The Faculty, surprised at the 
decrease of thirty from even last year's poor showing, 
endeavored to solace themselves by assigning hidden 
reasons for the catastrophe and drawing abundantly 
on hope. With Father McGurk for President, the 
classes were managed by Mr. Edward P. Spillane, 
Mr. Myles A. McLaughlin, Rev. Charles C. Jones, 
Mr. James F. X. Mulvaney, Mr. Edward Corbett, 
and Mr. George A. Pettit. By Wednesday, Sep- 
tember 7, the number of pupils had grown to sixty- 
nine. The altar in the residence chapel, donated 
by the sisters of Mr. Hanna, a splendid monument 
to their piety and charity, was consecrated on 
September 8. The splendid course of lectures 
inaugurated this year at the College marked an 



126 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

era in its intellectual growth. The series was 
opened on Monday, January 9, by Rev. Father 
McGurk, with "Ireland as It Is" for his subject. 
Mr. Corbett, on Monday, January 16, followed 
with an instructive essay concerning "Glaciers and 
the Glacial Period." For the third lecture Father 
Francis Ryan, of Baltimore, chose "New Fashions 
in Literature." On Monday, January 30, Rev. 
Charles C. Jones favored a large and appreciative 
audience with the result of his studies on "Evan- 
geline." Mr. Spillane on the following Monday, 
February 6, treated the subject "Alaska; or, The 
Cross in the North." Father Peter Finlay, the 
celebrated Irish theologian and professor at Wood- 
stock, on Monday, February 13, discussed "Savo- 
narola." The course was closed on Monday, Feb- 
ruary 20, by Mr. Cornelius J. Clifford, S. J., from 
Georgetown College. His theme was "The Irish 
Singers of '48." 

This year Rev. Father McGurk himself gave the 
retreat to the students. The exercises opened on 
Monday, March 5, and closed with general Com- 
munion on Thursday, March 8. 

The opening day of 1888-1889 had no more 
cheery prospects than its predecessor, and the 
dawn of prosperity was yet far distant. Fifty 
boys wandered into the College yard on the morn- 
ing of Monday, September 3, 1888. A week later 
sixty-seven were in attendance. The staff was as 
follows: Rev. Edward A. McGurk, S. J., President; 
Rev. William F. Clarke, S. J., Lecturer on Catechism; 
Mr. James F. X. Mulvaney, S. J., First Grammar; 
Mr. Myles A. McLaughlin, S. J., Second Grammar; 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 12 7 

Mr. George A. Pettit, S. J., Third Grammar; Rev. 
Thomas S. Harlin, S. J., Rudiments; Mr. John G. 
Nicholson, S. J., Rudiments. 

On October 20 the church was made the recipient 
of the late Mr. John Condon's munificent gift of 
a set of altar vessels, valued at twelve hundred 
dollars. A new feature introduced this year into 
the regular routine of College work was the pre- 
sentation at reading of marks of work done during 
the month by members of the different classes. 
To each class a special day was assigned, and the 
arrangement had many advantages. The publicity 
of the thing spurred on the youngsters to greater 
activity in the matter of self-improvement, the 
rivahy existing between the classes promoted emula- 
tion, and the results satisfied the laudable desire of 
each teacher to know what was being done in the 
College outside of his own proper class. 

The second term opened on Monday, February 4, 
1889, without any marked increase in the number 
of pupils. On Wednesday, February 20, George- 
town University kept the hundredth anniversary 
of its foundation, and the day naturally had much 
interest for poor relatives struggling under a burden 
at Gonzaga and wondering when benign Providence 
would send their way some small part of the good 
gifts showered on their prosperous sister. The 
College enjoyed a holiday on Monday, March 4, 
to enable the students to witness the inauguration 
of President Harrison. The annual retreat for the 
students was opened by Father Connolly on Mon- 
day, April 1. The year closed with the usual 
exercises. A feeling of dissatisfaction at the poor 



128 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

support given the College was daily gaining ground 
and resulted during vacation in the issuance of a 
circular stating that the higher classes of the College 
would be for a time suspended. It was determined 
to continue next year only the classes ranging from 
Rudiments to Second Grammar. 

September 2, 1889, was opening day, and in view 
of the steps taken by the authorities during the 
summer months no one was overwhelmingly sur- 
prised at the small number of students who pre- 
sented themselves for admission. There were fifty 
by actual count. The staff was as follows: 

Rev. Edward A. McGurk, S. J., President; Rev. 
William F. Clarke, S. J., Catechism; Rev. Michael 
A. Noel, S. J., German; Mr. George A. Pettit, 
S. J., Second and Third Grammars; Mr* William 
P. O'Connor, S. J., Rudiments; Mr. John G. Nichol- 
son, Rudiments. 

Near the beginning of October, Rev. Father 
Richards, S. J., President of Georgetown, offered 
two scholarships to be competed for by members 
of Second Grammar. These scholarships enable 
the successful competitors to enter First Grammar 
at Georgetown and afterwards continue their studies 
in the same institution till graduation. 

On November 25 the verdict of a District jury 
denied the church and College a considerable sum 
of money donated in his last will by Mr. John 
Hoover, an illustrious benefactor in his lifetime 
of the parish and its orphans. 

Mr. O'Connor, early in the year, set about form- 
ing a Social Club for young men of the parish and 
succeeded beyond all expectation. Before any regu- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 129 

Jar organization was effected he had fifty names 
on the list. Mr. Rossa F. Downing, an old student 
of the College, was its first secretary. A room for 
meetings was secured and fitted up in the College 
building. A billiard-hall, a reading-room and gym- 
nasium were likewise established in the same build- 
ing. The Club has since severed its connection 
with the College and bids fair to prosper in the 
future as in the past. 

The Commencement exercises were held at Harris' 
Bijou Theatre on June 25 and were fully up to the 
usual high standard. 

The College reopened on Monday, September 8, 
1890, with sixty- two boys present. The officers 
and faculty for the year were : 

Rev. Edward A. McGurk, S. J., President; Rev. 
Anthony F. Ciampi, S. J., Chaplain; Rev. Wil- 
liam F. Clarke, S. J., Catechism; Rev. Michael A. 
Noel, S. J., German; Rev. Michael C. Dolan, S. J., 
Second and Third Grammar; Rev. John J. Broder- 
ick, S. J., Rudiments; Rev. William J. Kevill, S. J., 
Rudiments. 

Death visited the College early in November 
and called to his reward Rev. William F. Clarke, 
who had endeared himself to the boys and the 
parishioners by his remarkable piety and deep 
learning. He was taken seriously sick on Wed- 
nesday, October 1, and after varying changes of 
health, died piously in the Lord on Friday evening, 
October 18, at 10.50. In the words of the College 
chronicler, "hypocrisy and human respect seemed 
to have no place in him. He was singularly exact 
in the observance of his religious duties." 



CHAPTER XVI 
Rev. Cornelius Gillespie, S. J. (1890-1898) 

ON Tuesday, November 18, 1890, Rev. Cornelius 
Gillespie was installed as the sixteenth Presi- 
dent of Gonzaga College. The appointment 
was opportune. From 1879 to 1884, during the 
administrations of Fathers Jenkins, Fulton and 
Murphy, he was one of the professors at the College 
and had followed with sorrow the reverses of fortune 
sustained during those years of hard trial. None 
knew better than he the needs of the place, none 
was better equipped for the herculean task of dis- 
pelling the clouds fast settling on the head of once 
glorious Gonzaga. He brought with him to the 
work remarkable business ability, a consuming zeal 
for the interests of education and religion, a genuine 
love for the home of his scholastic years, and an 
enthusiasm born of meditation on the past splendors 
of an institution now apparently fast settling towards 
the dust. He possessed the happy faculty of breath- 
ing into his helpers the spirit of determination and 
energy that animated himself, and at his advent a 
new era in the history of Gonzaga began. Long 
years of patient toil alone could repair the ravages 
of disaster, and every hour of decline during the 
preceding years necessarily called for a correspond- 
ing period of heroic labor in the future work of 
resuscitation. "To tear down is easier than to 
build up," is an adage particularly true when the 
edifice is of a moral nature like a college. Indeed, 
to save an organization of the kind from death 

130 






.'".■"■'.'■ ■.'. . 




Rev. Cornelius Gillespie, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 133 

when death's symptoms are present is almost as 
much a miracle as to instil new life into a dead body. 
But the miracle has been worked, and to-day Gon- 
zaga College is out of the danger that threatened 
her and is fast striving towards the robust health 
that characterized her long ago. 

With a few more years of superior management, 
with earnest effort on the part of her friends, who 
should be legion in Washington ; with the support 
of parents whom God has splendidly blessed with 
means and with the desire to procure for their sons 
the benefits of a liberal education, Gonzaga will be 
yet able to hold her head higher, and after many 
a hard struggle fought and won with the single 
resources of long-suffering hope, will be at last able 
to rest awhile and turn her eyes from the future 
to the past for purposes of comparison. From the 
beginning of Father Gillespie's administration 
progress has been necessarily slow, but that prog- 
ress has come to stay is abundantly evident from 
facts. 

Traces of improvement are particularly hard to 
discover along the course of the first few years. 
In fact, as always happens at a transition from 
worse to better, the progress apparent would at 
first seem to be in a downward direction. Thus, 
for instance, after the opening week of January, 
1891, the whole College was entrusted to the care 
of one Father and two lay professors. Besides, 
death was on the eve of visiting the little com- 
munity again, and thinning anew its already weak- 
ened ranks. Rev. William J. Kevill, S. J., who, 
during his short stay at the College had endeared 



134 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

himself to many and had given rare promise of 
becoming a most efficient workman, was stricken 
down when but thirty-seven years of age. He was 
born on November 17, 1853, and died at Gonzaga 
College, after a short illness, on March 12, 1891. 
The staff suffered a severe blow in this loss, and his 
sweetness of disposition, his earnestness, and his 
enthusiasm were sadly missed during the year. 
From this date to April 22, 1892, no record of College 
happenings is extant, and the historian who then 
takes up the thread of events characteristically 
complains "that the gross negligence of our for- 
bears has deprived us of all data for history." 

We know from other sources that the staff for 
1891-1892 was made up as follows: Rev. Cornelius 
Gillespie, S. J., President; Rev. Arthur J. Mac- 
Avoy, S. J., English Rhetoric; Rev. Michael J. 
Byrnes, S. J., Second Grammar; Rev. Michael C. 
Dolan, S. J., Third Grammar; Rev. Andrew P. 
Keating, S. J., Rudiments; Rev. Edward Connolly, 
S. J., Elocution. 

Subsequent records are authority for the state- 
ment that eighty boys reported for work on the 
opening day. On April 22, 1892, Father Fulton 
returned from New Mexico, whither he had traveled 
in search of better health. He assumed at once the 
office of historian. Father Ward had been removed 
to Georgetown College, and Father McAtee, whose 
name as a scholastic is frequent in the "Washing- 
ton Seminary" records, had come to Gonzaga. 
Father Cahill went to Denver. Fathers Anthony 
M. Mandalari and Francis A. Smith were accessions 
to the Faculty. On April 23, Mr. Mulvaney, once 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 135 

a teacher in the College, was ordained by Cardinal 
Gibbons at Trinity Church, Georgetown, and re- 
ceived a reception from our boys, mainly the Phocion 
Society. Speeches were made, there was some sing- 
ing, and two books were presented to him. On May 
29, an exhibition of Father Mandalari's class of 
Philosophy was held in the National Rifles' Armory. 
In the words of the annalist, "The hall was two- 
thirds full. The papers were read — evinced sufficient 
knowledge — but it would be difficult, not to say im- 
possible, to make popular an exhibition consisting 
of the lecture of philosophical essays." Commence- 
ment exercises were held on June 23. We quote 
again: "All the speeches were very prettily written 
— the delivery better than expected — no break- 
down, and one or two spoke really well." 

In the year 1892, the fact that the College opened 
on Labor Day, a holiday throughout the city, cut 
down the number of entries to eighty-six. But 
the very next day, Tuesday, September 6, saw 
one hundred names enrolled, with man} r old boys 
yet to return. The good work of preceding years 
was at last beginning to tell, and henceforth the 
pages of Gonzaga's history were to be brighter. 
The staff this year was particularly able: Rev. Cor- 
nelius Gillespie, S. J., President; Rev. Robert 
Fulton, S. J., Vice-President. Teachers: Rev. 
Fathers MacAvoy, S. J., Keating, S. J., and Mc- 
Ginney, S. J. 

The last week of September Washington wit- 
nessed the display attendant on a G. A. R. encamp- 
ment. There were 350,000 strangers in the city 
and 80,000 soldiers in the procession. "The most 



136 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

objectionable feature," our historian remarks, "was 
a company of girls from Ohio with guns!" About 
sixty New York lads, the band from Father Dough- 
erty's Home for Destitute Boys, came with the 
69th Regiment and were lodged in the College Hall. 
People of the congregation proved extremely kind 
and sent abundance of food to their quarters. 

Ceremonies in honor of Columbus began on 
October 16 and closed on October 21 with a mam- 
moth torchlight procession. The procession was a 
colossal success, about eight thousand men being in 
line. Catholics never before in the history of 
Washington made such a demonstration. Through 
the energy of the Young Men's Catholic Club of 
Gonzaga College our grounds were made the terminus 
of the procession. They were highly ornamented 
with flags and bunting. A stand was erected for the 
speakers, Messrs. Bradley Johnston, Nast, and 
Judge E. F. Dunn of Ohio. About this date Father 
Fulton's broken health necessitated his departure 
for the Novitiate at Frederick, Md. On December 
15 the Cadets gave a good account of themselves at 
the Carroll Institute Fair. They were highly com- 
plimented on their military appearance and bearing. 
The College Hall, so often referred to in the pages 
of this year's diary as the shanty, was about to 
yield place to a building of more magnificent and 
becoming proportions. Father Gillespie, on January 
29, 1893, announced to the congregation his plans 
for a new hall. "St. Aloysius' Building Association" 
was immediately organized. Progress in raising 
funds was slow, and it was not until three years 
later that the plan could be realized. The year 
closed with the usual exercises in Metzerott Hall. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 137 

The Officers and Faculty of the year 1893-1894 
were: Rev. Cornelius Gillespie, S. J., President; Rev. 
Michael C. Dolan, S. J., Vice-President; Teachers: 
Rev. Michael J. Byrnes, S. J., Rev. Patrick J. 
McGinney, S. J., Rev. Michael J. Cunningham, 
S. J., Rev. Andrew P. Keating, S. J. 

We are at a loss to know the number of students 
who presented themselves for admission at the 
opening of schools. The first entry of note this 
year is an account of Father Francis McCarthy's 
retreat to the boys, begun on November 8 and 
finished on November 13. Father Ciampi, another 
hero of olden times, who filled the void made in 
the early seventies by the removal of Father Maguire 
from the parish, was sent to Providence Hospital 
on November 9, never to return. He had been ailing 
for the past several years and died in peace on 
November 24, at 3 a. m. Mass was said for his 
soul on November 27. The Cadets attended the 
funeral in a body and accompanied his remains to 
Georgetown. During his long-continued pastorate 
he made for himself hosts of friends. He was an 
able speaker. His very countenance breathed an 
air of decorum and sanctity. His dignity and quiet 
demeanor were of the kind that attach themselves 
to royalty in its most consummate degree. The 
congregation was often during the course of this 
year favored with the presence of the Apostolic 
Delegate, Monsignor Satolli. On more than one 
occasion he kindly assisted at church services and 
lent to the ceremonies an unwonted splendor. The 
College commencement took place on June 22. 

The College opened in 1894-1895 with 91 boys in 



138 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

attendance. The staff was as follows: Rev. Corne- 
lius Gillespie, S. J., President; Rev. John M. Colgan, 
S. J., Vice-President; Rev. Michael J. Byrnes, S. J., 
Poetry; Mr. Francis M. Connell, S. J., First Gram- 
mar; Rev. Patrick J. McGinney, S. J., Second 
Grammar; Mr. Thomas E. Scott, S. J., Third. 
Grammar; Mr. George L. Coyle, S. J., Rudiments; 
Rev. Richard E. Ryan, S. J., Special Latin. 

It will be noticed that after an interval of four 
years scholastics returned to the College to teach. 
It was hoped that the young men, necessarily free 
from the burdens attached to ministrations of the 
priesthood, would invest college proceedings with 
new life and enthusiasm. The Cadets were thor- 
oughly reorganized on September 11 and made a 
more conspicuous feature in college life. On Thanks- 
giving Day, November 27, they escorted Monsignor 
Satolli from his residence to the church, where he 
assisted at Mass. Mr. Rose, S. J., was added to 
the teaching staff on April 16, replacing Father 
Ryan. Nothing else of unusual importance occurred 
till the closing of schools in June with the usual 
exercises. 

The status for the year 1895-1896 was: Rev. Cor- 
nelius Gillespie, S. J., President; Rev. John A. 
Conway, S. J., Vice-President; Rev. John M. 
Colgan, S. J., Poetry; Rev. Patrick J. McGinney, 
S. J., First Grammar; Mr. Thomas E. Scott, S. J., 
Second Grammar; Mr. George L. Coyle, S. J., 
Third Grammar; Mr. William J. O'Gorman, S. J., 
Rudiments; Mr. George B. Rose, S. J., Special 
Latin. 

During vacation the College was visited by 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 139 

Fathers John S. Hollohan, S. J., and Owen A. Hill, 
S. J., old students, lately ordained priests at Wood- 
stock. On Sunday, August 4, the former sang the 
High Mass in honor of St. Ignatius; the latter 
preached. Toward the close of August, applicants 
tried for the scholarships open to the boys of the 
District. Ninety-seven boys answered the first roll 
call on September 3. On September 5, Lieutenant 
King, U. S. A., was detailed to instruct the Cadets 
in military tactics. Word was received the same 
day of Father Fulton's death, at San Jose, Calif. 
Thanksgiving Day, November 28, was kept this 
year by a Solemn Military Mass, at which Monsi- 
gnor Satolli assisted. The Cadets conducted them- 
selves very creditably. On November 29, definite 
information of Monsignor Satolli 's elevation to the 
Cardinal ate was received and was the occasion of 
much rejoicing throughout the College. 

Marquis Sacripanti, of the Pope's Noble Guard, 
the messenger despatched by His Holiness, Pope 
Leo XIII, with the Cardinal's insignia, assisted in full 
uniform at the Solemn High Mass sung by Cardinal 
Satolli in St. Aloysius' Church on Christmas Day. 
The music of the Mass was an original composition 
arranged by Professor Fanciulli, leader of the Marine 
Band, in honor of the newly made Cardinal. The 
same Marquis Sacripanti was the guest at a recep- 
tion tendered by the Gonzaga Cadets in Carroll 
Institute Hall on January 8, 1896. The guest of 
the occasion was escorted from the Delegate's resi- 
dence to the hall by an imposing array of military 
made up of the Cadets, the Emmet Guards, Knights 
of St. John, and Catholic Knights. The programme 



140 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

consisted of music by the Marine Band, addresses 
by Major C. Hugh Duffy, Hon. William N. Roach, 
of the United States Senate, and Gen. James D. 
Brady. Fully two thousand five hundred people 
shook hands with the Marquis. On February 3 
the Dramatic Society produced "Guy Mannering" 
in Carroll Institute Hall, and scored a great success. 
A second rendition of the same piece on February 
4 was even more liberally patronized. The house 
was literally packed, not even standing room was 
left, and many had to be turned away from the 
doors disappointed. The retreat this year began on 
May 5. Father F. X. Brady conducted the exer- 
cises. On May 7 the Prize Debate of the Phocion 
Society took place at Metzerott Music Hall. The 
question discussed turned on the advisability of 
"State Aid to Sectarian Charitable Institutions." 
The honorable judges of the contest were a notable 
gathering, comprising Hon. William N. Roach, 
United States Senator from North Dakota; Hon. 
James J. Walsh, United States Representative from 
New York; and Hon. John F. Fitzgerald, United 
States Representative from Massachusetts. The 
Marine Band, under the direction of Professor 
Fanciulli, discoursed sweet music during the intervals 
between the speeches. 

A change was made in the personnel of the staff 
on May 13. Rev. George A. Pettit replaced in 
Third Grammar Mr. George B. Rose, who departed 
for New York. Another opportunity to display 
their military proficiency was afforded the Cadets on 
Sunday, May 24, when Cardinal Satolli, in the 
presence of many priests and a vast assemblage of 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 141 

people, laid the corner-stone of the new College hall. 
The following companies participated in the pro- 
cession: Emmet Guards, Gonzaga Cadets, Knights 
of St. John, Catholic Knights of America, Ancient 
Order of Hibernians, Young Men's Catholic Club. 
Right Rev. Bishop Keane, D. D., Rector of the 
Catholic University, delivered an eloquent and 
scholarly discourse. St. Aloysius' Day, June 21, 
was kept with unwonted ceremony. Cardinal Satolli 
celebrated Pontifical High Mass, and Rev. Father 
Brockbank, O. P., delivered the discourse. The 
Commencement this year was held on the lawn and 
proved a grand success. The boys acquitted them- 
selves creditably of their several parts. Cardinal 
Satolli presided and distributed the premiums. 

The year 1896-1897 opened with the following 
faculty: Rev. Cornelius Gillespie, S. J., President 
and Treasurer; Rev. John A. Conway, S. J., Vice- 
President and Prefect of Studies; Rev. John M. 
Colgan, S. J., Professor of Rhetoric; Rev. Edmund 
J. Burke, S. J., Professor of Poetry and First Gram- 
mar; Mr. George L. Coyle, S. J., Teacher of Second 
Grammar and Chemistry; Mr. William J. O' Gor- 
man, S. J., Teacher of Third Grammar and Alge- 
bra; Mr. William J. Conway, S. J., Teacher of First 
Rudiments and Analytical Geometry; Mr. James 
F. X. Burns, S. J., Teacher of Second Rudiments and 
Mathematics; Mr. Martin T. Conboy, Teacher of 
English and Mathematics; Mr. Jean F. P. des Gar- 
ennes, A. M., LL. M., Professor of French; George 
J. Lochboehler, M. D., Professor of German; Mr. 
Rossa F. Downing, Teacher of Stenography and 
Typewriting; Lieut. William S. Guignard, 4th Art., 



142 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

U. S. A., Military Instructor; Mr. Amabile Samuels, 
U. S. M. B., Band Instructor; Mr. George Fuggit, 
IT. S. M. C, Drum Instructor. 

A commodious hall in which to carry out the 
various exercises of the students of the College 
had been a need long felt, and when by the generous 
offer of $15,000 through Father William J. Tynan, 
S. J., a sufficient sum was found to warrant the 
undertaking, the project of building a new hall as 
an adjunct to the College was carried into effect. 
With their wonted generosity the parishioners of 
St. Aloysius' Church contributed towards the erec- 
tion of the new edifice, and accordingly on May 24, 
1896, the corner stone of Gonzaga College Hall was 
laid amid impressive ceremonies by Cardinal Satolli. 
The Church News gives the following account of the 
services : 

Last Sunday was the beginning of a new epoch in the history 
of Gonzaga College, as it marked the commencement of a grand 
college building, which is destined to be an ornament to the 
city. In the early history of Gonzaga College its halls were 
filled with an average of four or five hundred young men from 
the most prominent families in Washington. Since its re- 
moval from the center of the city it has never had this number 
on its rolls, although for several years there has been a con- 
stant increase in attendance, and it is safe to predict that in 
a few more years its students will be as numerous as ever. 
The college curriculum has been advanced, and with the ad- 
vantages of a new building there is no reason why it should 
not attract the hundreds of Catholic youths now in the high 
schools. Although the entire college will not be erected imme- 
diately, the new hall, the corner stone of which was laid last 
Sunday, will be of great service to the college, especially the 
large gymnasium, which will occupy the lower floor. 

About 4 o'clock the military procession, headed by the 
cadet drum corps and composed of the Emmet Guards and the 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 143 

Gonzaga College Cadets, marched up I Street to the residence 
of the Papal Delegate. The military acted as an escort to 
His Eminence Cardinal Satolli, who, with the accompanying 
clergymen, was driven at once to the pastoral residence, and in 
a few minutes was escorted to the pavilion at the corner stone. 
The ceremony of laying the corner stone was brief and was 
performed by Cardinal Satolli. In the corner stone was placed 
a copper box containing a parchment on which is written the 
names of the Holy Father, Cardinal Gibbons, the President, 
members of the cabinet, the provincial, rector, and faculty of 
Gonzaga College; copies of the Church News and daily news- 
papers, and coins from one cent to one dollar, and a dime of the 
date 1821, the year the College was founded, were also placed 
in the box. The tiny silver trowel with which Cardinal Satolli 
spread the mortar was inscribed "Corner stone laying, Gonzaga 
College, May 24, 1896." The trowel was afterward presented 
to the Cardinal. 

Rt. Rev. Bishop Keane, Rector of the Catholic University, 
delivered the following address : 

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost, Amen. 

" Your Eminence, Reverend Fathers, Beloved Brethren: From 
my heart I congratulate my beloved friends, Father Gillespie 
and his reverend associates, on the admirable work this day 
solemnly inaugurated. Father Gillespie is preeminently a 
practical man. He is taking notes when men do not suspect 
it; he is forming plans and devising means for carrying them 
into execution when people have no notion that such thoughts 
are passing through his brain. Among the many needs of the 
college, Father Gillespie plainly saw that one of the principal 
was an aula maxima — a general assembly room in which the 
students could meet one another, could meet their professors, 
could meet their parents and friends, and be trained in the 
actualities of life. But Father Gillespie knew well that even 
God's work had to depend on money. The venerated Mr. John 
Tynan, when going to his reward, left to the College one-half 
of the amount that was needed for making a beginning. Kind 
friends whose names are recorded in God's books have made up 



1 44 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

the other half, and now the heart of Father Gillespie is filled 
with joy because the time has at last come when a beginning of 
the work can be made. 

"If I offer congratulations to Father Gillespie, still more do 
I congratulate Gonzaga College. My acquaintance with 
Gonzaga College began thirty years ago. In 1866, when I was 
placed as an assistant at St. Patrick's Church, we had the 
happiness of having Gonzaga College for our next door neighbor. 
God's providence willed that the College should be torn from 
its old moorings and removed here into immediate connection 
with St. Aloysius' Church. Again we must trust that in this, 
as in all things, God's providence has made no mistake. Never- 
theless, since the transplanting was made the old College has 
had its ups and downs, its varied vicissitudes. The day's 
event demonstrates that the College has attained a solidity that 
gives noble promise for the future. This day gives us assur- 
ance that the College has begun an onward and upward march 
that will place it in the position that is its due, as one of the 
great educational institutions of this Capital City of the Re- 
public. Washington is fast becoming a city of universities, 
but universities are founded upon colleges, and universities 
can be solid only in proportion as the colleges on which they 
are founded are well and thoroughly organized. Gonzaga 
College seems by the will of Providence destined to be one of 
the great educational factors in this great educational center. 
Georgetown is naturally the great boarding school of the 
Jesuit Fathers. Gonzaga College ought naturally to be their 
great day school. But since the experience of other centuries 
has demonstrated that among all the educators of youth the 
Jesuit Fathers stand preeminent, surely it ought to be a matter 
of course that Georgetown and Gonzaga should stand pre- 
eminent among the homes of learning in this great educational 
center. 

"Not only, then, to Gonzaga College do I offer my congratula- 
tions, but to the system of Christian education itself. Christian 
education has two objects : To train a man for his relationship 
to God and to those eternal interests concerning which our Lord 
has said, 'What would it profit a man to gain the whole world 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 145 

and to lose his immortal soul ?' This side of his education is 
day by day and hour by hour assiduously attended to by de- 
voted, consecrated servants of Jesus Christ. Day by day they 
go to their classroom not merely to do a day's work, but looking 
to the Divine Master, begging for His spirit, and seeking to do 
His work in the mind and the hearts and the lives of the youth 
that are entrusted to their care. But Christian education has 
also another side. It not only fits a man for fullest justice to 
his eternal interests and his duties to his soul and to his God, 
but it also fits a man for fullest justice to his temporal duties, 
to his worldly duties, and to all his relations to his fellow-men. 
God, Who is the Creator of heaven, is also the Creator of earth. 
God, Who is the Master and Lord and Father of that blessed 
eternity that we will spend with Him in our future home, is 
also the Planner and the Father of this existence which here 
below we have to spend for a few years preparing ourselves for 
our eternal destiny. God is the God of this world just as much 
as He is the God of the other world. God is the God of the 
life we have to live here just as much as of the life we have to 
live before His throne. God is the God of the duties that we 
have to fulfill here to the world, to our country, to our fellow- 
men, just as much as He is the God of the duty that we have to 
fulfill to heaven, to God's angels, to God's saints, and to God's 
Own Self. Therefore the Holy Apostle says, 'Piety is useful 
unto all things, being a promise both of the life that is and that 
which is to come.' 

"Christian education, therefore, must train a man for all 
his earthly life, for all his worldly duties, for all his relations 
with his fellow-men, for all that he will ever have to do for his 
country and for the world. Now in this training of a man, a 
hall like this is of inestimable advantage. It gives him an 
opportunity to come forward and to show before his associates, 
before his fellow-students, before his professors, before his 
parents and friends, to show what is in him, to show what he 
knows, to show what he can do, to show what he is going to be 
fit for. Every man needs those external surroundings and 
those external spurrings. No man is made great only by talent 
and by application. Every man needs opportunity, external 



146 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

environment, external circumstances, external opportunity to 
develop what is in him, to spur what is in him, to elevate his 
faculties to their utmost. A hall like this is such an environ- 
ment; to a boy it is his introduction to the stage of life. It is 
his first step before the great world. It is his first initiation 
into standing before his fellow-men and letting the light that is 
in him shine forth before their eyes. Not in pride and ostenta- 
tion, not in self-assertion and self-seeking must he desire to 
stand before his fellow-men and to show forth his life. No! 
But, as the Apostle says, 'So let your light shine before men that 
men may see your good works and give glory to your Father, 
Who is in Heaven.' 

"Gonzaga College fully appreciates the debt that she owes 
to her boys, to this external and worldly side of their life. She 
not only teaches them how to say their prayers and recite their 
lessons, but, as we have witnessed today, she teaches them how 
to hold the musket, how to beat the drum, how to sound the 
horn, how to march in soldierly array. She does not, indeed, 
wish that her boys should ever shed the blood of their fellow- 
men, but she does wish that if the need should ever come her 
boys should stand among the foremost in fighting for country 
and laying down their lives for fatherland. [Applause.] 

"Again Gonzaga teaches her boys not only that they are 
citizens of Washington, not only that they are citizens of the 
United States, but that they are citizens of the world. Look 
at all the flags that surround us here today — the flags of the 
whole civilized world, telling the boys of this college that they 
are kin to all mankind, that they must feel an interest in the 
welfare of all mankind. But there must be in them no narrow 
jingoism that will make them seek their own country alone, 
but the great, broad, catholic humanity that will make them 
sympathize with God's creatures wherever God's Providence 
has put them. [Applause.] 

"This, then, is the spirit of Gonzaga College. This is the 
spirit in which this hall is going to train its boys. It is mani- 
festly an institution of great importance. It is manifestly a 
work of manifold utility that is this day begun. From my 
heart I wish it success, and, as I congratulated Father Gillespie 
on seeing its beginning, I hope that he will see it finished and 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 147 

will see the good fruits that will flow from it — fruits for the 
honor of the College, fruits for the welfare of the religion, fruits 
for the greatest glory of God." [Applause.] 

At the conclusion of the Bishop's address Solemn Benedic- 
tion was given by Cardinal Satolli in St. Aloysius' Church. 
After Benediction His Eminence and clergy were entertained 
at dinner in the pastoral residence. 

The new building progressed rapidly towards 
completion and by October, 1896, was finished. 

The first time the new hall was thrown open to 
the public, was Sunday, October 4, 1896, on the 
occasion of the farewell reception given to Cardi- 
nal Satolli, the Apostolic Pro-Delegate. He had 
recently been raised to the Cardinalate and had 
been recalled to Rome by the Holy Father, to be 
succeeded by Mgr. Sebastian Martinelli, O. S. A. 
Solemn Pontifical High Mass had been said in the 
morning by His Eminence, the new delegate, who 
arrived in Washington the day before, assisting in 
the sanctuary. At eight o'clock in the evening 
the reception was held in the new hall. It was a 
matter of no little surprise and pleasure to His 
Eminence that he was able to open to the public the 
hall of which he had laid the corner stone but 
four short months before. Mgr. Martinelli assisted 
at the reception, and at the same time that it was 
a farewell to Cardinal Satolli, it was also the first 
introduction to the American public of the new 
delegate. The following account is taken from the 
newspapers of the day: 

The reception tendered Cardinal Satolli at Gonzaga College 
last night by the president, faculty, and alumni of Gonzaga 
College was a splendid testimonial to the Cardinal of the respect 
in which he was held by the Catholic people of Washington, 



148 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

both clerical and lay, and especially by the members of St. 
Aloysius* Parish. The Gonzaga College Hall, in which the 
reception was held, was crowded to its utmost limit. The hall 
seats 1,200 people, and 300 more were in the rear and on the 
stage, and the crowd was dense outside the doors. There were 
no decorations except the potted plants with which the stage 
was surrounded. 

Cardinal Satolli sat during the addresses in the center of the 
stage, dressed in his reception robes, with Archbishop Marti- 
nelli on his right and Father Gillespie, S. J., Rector of the 
College, on his left. 

The ceremonies began with the rendition by the Columbia 
Opera House Orchestra of Sousa's El Capitan march. This 
was followed by a Latin poem by James Markey, of the college 
department. It was in elegiac verse, and a most creditable 
production for a boy of his age. It was entitled "Suspirium 
Cordis." 

Mr. Robert J. Achstetter made the introductory address on 
"Venisti"; Mr. J. Vincent Coughlan followed on "Vidisti"; 
Mr. Henry Hegarty, the last student to speak, concluded 
with "Vicisti." 

Father Pardow, S. J., Provincial of the Jesuits, spoke as 
representing the Jesuits in the United States. He said in part: 

" Your Eminence, Your Excellency, Very Reverend and 
Reverend Clergy, Ladies and Gentlemen: The feelings uppermost 
in our hearts tonight are those of sadness that we are assembled 
to say farewell to one who has for years past been in our midst, 
the representative of the supreme head of the Church. And 
nobly has he represented him. Imbued from childhood with 
the life-giving tenets of Catholic truth, inspired by the masterly 
utterances of our august Pontiff, Leo XIII, His Eminence, 
Cardinal Satolli, has been the intrepid defender in our midst of 
those solid principles which underlie all true life, whether of 
individuals or of nations. He will stand on the pages of 
history of the Church in America as the absolute enemy of 
divorce between education and religion. Not his the doctrine 
which would crowd religion out of our primary schools and 
relegate it to the Sunday-school, but his to teach that religion 
must be inculcated every day in the week; that the teaching 




Officers and Faculty, 1896-97 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 151 

also must be, not simply a vague, indefinite sort of morality, 
but a clear, well-defined belief that morality rests on dogma; 
that education is not worthy of the name where the mind is 
stuffed with variegated instruction and the heart and character 
are left unformed." 

Dr. Rooker, replying on behalf of Cardinal Satolli, said: 
"His Eminence has requested that I reply for him to the 
addresses that have just been made to him, and that I shall 
thank you all for the courtesy you have shown him in gathering 
here. An audience like this gathered here from the one parish 
of St. Aloysius indicates what it would have been if all the 
parishes in the city had given him a joint reception. The 
Cardinal is proud that this meeting should be held here, for in 
May last he laid the corner stone, and had not hoped to be 
present when the building was completed. He told me to tell 
some of Father Gillespie's secrets. The father has a school 
around the block and a hall here, and intends to connect the two, 
not with an underground passage, nor with a plain, covered 
boardwalk, but he was going to build between this building 
and the other one a great, big college. 

"Since His Eminence's advent among you there has been 
no feast here that you have not had him with you, and in the 
three years he has been here there has been no cause for him to 
share any sorrow. He rejoices that he has had to rejoice with 
you, and thanks you all from the bottom of his heart for your 
devotion and kindness to him." 

This year of 1896 was noteworthy as the Diamond 
Jubilee year of the College. After a varied career 
of struggling and discouragement, of glorious success 
in her old station on F Street, and again the same 
undaunted efforts to establish herself in her new 
place on I Street, Gonzaga College with joyous pride 
entered on her seventy-fifth year of existence. She 
could look with pleasure on the long list of men who 
had imbibed within her walls the principles of self- 
sacrifice and devotedness that made them enter the 



152 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

ranks of Loyola to fight more earnestly and more 
effectively under the banner of Christ, and again 
on the long catalogue of laymen who had studied 
within her precincts and had gone forth into the 
world to reflect honor on their Alma Mater in the 
various professions and in positions of trust in the 
state, and she thought it befitting to celebrate with 
pomp and splendor this year of Jubilee. 

On October 12, 1896, Rev. Father Gillespie had 
issued an invitation to all the former students of 
the college to attend a meeting in Gonzaga College 
Hall for the purpose of organizing an Alumni Society. 
On October 18, 1896, the first meeting was had, and 
on November 8, 1896, the Alumni Society was per- 
manently organized by the election of officers, as 
follows: President, Nicholas H. Shea; Vice-President, 
Charles W. Handy; Secretary, Rossa F. Downing; 
Treasurer, Thomas A. Rover; Executive Committee, 
Prof. S. W. Flynn, John B. McCarthy, Daniel O'C. 
Callaghan, and the President of the College, ex 
officio. Mr. Daniel O'C. Callaghan, of the Com- 
mittee on Organization, presented a constitution, 
which, after some amendments, was adopted. It was 
determined to celebrate the jubilee year by an 
alumni banquet, and a committee was named to 
make all necessary arrangements. 

The celebration of the jubilee took place on 
November 15, 16, 17. The Church News gives the 
following full account: 

Gonzaga College, having shown by a life of seventy-five 
years how well she is equipped for educational work, commem- 
orated last Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday her diamond 
jubilee. The services were in perfect harmony with the event 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 153 

and were participated in by the faculty, alumni, and students, 
while thousands of her friends honored by their presence the 
institution which has sent out from her halls so many noble 
sons. Many of these imbibed the spirit of Gonzaga and ex- 
changed the school book for the missal, and, as priests of 
Mother Church, carry on the work she was commissioned to 
perform. 

The celebration of the diamond jubilee marked the close of 
a long epoch and the beginning of a new one. It is quite 
probable that it will result in the erection of a magnificent 
college building to correspond with the large hall just erected. 

The diamond jubilee ceremonies commenced last Sunday, 
when His Excellency, Archbishop Martinelli, celebrated Solemn 
Pontifical Mass in St. Aloysius' Church. His Excellency was 
escorted by the Gonzaga College Cadets, headed by the drum 
corps, from the Apostolic Delegation to the church. The 
cadets presented a fine military appearance and carried rifles 
and side arms. Each cadet proudly wore on his bosom the 
college colors, purple and white, the colors of the Gonzaga 
family. 

He was escorted to the entrance of the church, where the 
reverend clergy, headed by Rev. Father Cornelius Gillespie, 
S. J., Rector of St. Aloysius' and President of Gonzaga College, 
received him. The Archbishop was escorted to the sanctuary, 
and immediately afterward Solemn Pontifical Mass began. 
The Rev. William O'Brien Pardow, S. J., Provincial, delivered 
the sermon. 

At 4 o'clock p.m. on Sunday, Solemn Vespers were sung. 
The "Te Deum" was rendered by the choir and congregation. 

Gonzaga Hall was well filled last Sunday night, when a recep- 
tion was tendered to His Excellency, Archbishop Martinelli, by 
the faculty. On the stage was the Apostolic Delegate, sur- 
rounded by a number of the reverend clergy and prominent 
laymen. The Reverend Cornelius Gillespie, S. J., President 
of the College, made a few remarks welcoming Mgr. Martinelli 
to the United States, to Washington, and especially to St. 
Aloysius' Parish. He said: "We welcome His Excellency first 
as the representative of our Holy Father," and after referring 



154 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

to the loyalty of the Society of Jesus to the Pope, added, "we 
welcome him with that same loyalty." 

The Rev. John M. Colgan, S. J., of the faculty of Gonzaga 
College, read the following Latin poem : 

AD NOVUM LEONIS XIII LEGATUM 

Haud pridem reboans lugentis fluctibus urbis 

Obstupuit coelum, patre vacante domum. 
Quid mlrum fixo si tellus haeserit axi 

Flumina maesta videns tanta tumere sinu ? 
Quantas vidisti lacrimas super ora cadentes 

Alter quando pater mox abiturus erat! 
Te veniente, venit perdulcis imago Leonis, 

Gensque diu moerens lene solamen habet. 
Te salvere jubet, praecellentissime Praesul, 

Haec divo Christi Sanguine nata domus : 
A Papae dextra te magna America salutat, 

Munera fers pacis, palladiumque sacrum. 
Volverat Oceanus diros ad littora montes, 

Quo velant Papae moenia coelsa satos, 
Trans pontum populis et Tiburis ostia clausa, 

Tristitias cumulis pectora fida premunt! 
Ecce maris portas nobis, moto obice, pandis, 

Laeta ferens natis, patre petente suos. 
Jam lacrimas terges, jamque omnia pulchra renident 

Sol tenebris fulget, fulget et alma dies, 
Quae nebulas cogens, coelum ducitque serenum; 

Nititur hinc animus grandia quisque Deo. 
Te Celebris peperit Christo Augustineus ordo 

Quod statuit Princeps jam Seraphaeus opus, 
Non minus audacter subiturum mente sagaci : 

Herculeoque labor splendidiora metet! 
Non hommum laudes, non terrae fulgida fama, 

Non rutilans gemmis te diadema trahit — 
Sed clypeo fortem magis haud peritura corona, 

Et Jesu flagrans emorientis amor! 
Augurium faustum fore gens tibi laeta peroptat, 

Amplius alma Fides explicet imperium — 









HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 155 

Novae nunc redeant orbi aurea saecula pacis, 

Gesta malis frustra, cum nova cuncta creent. 
Robur et arma regat Romanae palmes olivae, 

Et gemino cumulet pinguia dona polo. 
Leniat iratas grato medicamine mentes 

Vincula solvat odi ferrea — dulcis Amor. 
Floreat imperium Romae, volventibus aevis, 

Fulgeat et Lumen — pectore, mente, Leo ! 
Vivat Papa Leo! Nomenque perennius aere 

Sit Martinello! Vivat uterque Deo! 
Evoe magne Pater! Te nos salvere jubemus 

Cum populoque pio, sospite, — vive mane ! 

The Rev. A. M. Mandalari, S. J., of Loyola College, read an 
Italian poem which was highly appreciated by Mgr. Martinelli, 
Italian being his native tongue. The poem was warmly com- 
plimented by those familiar with the language. 

His Excellency, in reply to the addresses, spoke in part as 
follows : 

"Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
It is a pleasure for me to be present on this occasion, to rejoice 
with you on this great feast of the diamond jubilee of Gonzaga 
College, to congratulate the good Jesuit Fathers on what they 
have accomplished for the education of the young, and to augur 
them even greater success for the years to come. 

"In congratulating the Fathers I wish to congratulate ycu 
also for the cooperation and encouragement you have given 
them in this noble work. For the Christian education of youth 
is a noble work and the dedication of one's life to training of 
the youthful mind in the ways of Catholic knowledge and virtue 
is a most noble sacrifice worthy of every commendation. Quid 
majus, quant animis moderari, quant adolescentulorum fingere 
mores? says St. John Chrysostom. 

"It has been well said, 'The boy is father of the man.' No 
man is loyal to his country who is not loyal to his God; and to 
be loyal to God one must know God — must know the relation 
which he bears to God, and the relation which God bears to 
him. 

"This is precisely what is instilled into the youthful mind in 



156 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

our Catholic colleges, together with the usual instructions in 
purely secular branches of science. Thus the boy, impressed 
in his early years with the idea of his accountability to God, 
grows into manhood, takes his place in the world with the 
consciousness that in his actions he must not look merely to 
the approbation of his fellow-men, but to that higher approba- 
tion which is only merited when actions are conformable to 
the Divine and human law." 

Monday morning at 9 o'clock His Eminence, Cardinal Gib- 
bons, celebrated Solemn Pontifical Military Mass in St. Aloy- 
sius' Cuurch. The officers of the Mass were His Eminence, 
Cardinal Gibbons, celebrant; Rev. Michael C. Dolan, S. J., 
assistant priest; Rev. P. J. McGinney, S. J., deacon; Mr. 
William O'Gorman, S. J., subdeacon; Rev. Wm. J. Tynan, S. J., 
and Edmund J. Burke, S. J., deacons cf honor. The sermon 
was preached by Rev. Patrick Quill, S. J., of Loyola College, 
Baltimore. 

Monday evening at 6 o'clock a reception was tendered to 
His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, by the faculty and alumni in 
Gonzaga College Hall. 

His Eminence occupied a chair in the center of the stage. 
On his right were Rev. William O'Brien Pardow, S. J., Provin- 
cial, and Mr. N. H. Shea, president of the Alumni Society; on 
his left were Mgr. Sbaretti, auditor of the Apostolic Delega- 
tion, and Rev. Dr. Rooker, secretary. There were also on the 
stage many priests and laymen. 

The exercises opened with a short address by Rev. C. Gilles- 
pie, S. J., who said that the object of the reception was to enable 
the alumni of the college to meet the Cardinal, and he paid 
him a glowing tribute for his learning and desire to encourage 
institutions of learning. As an evidence of what the College 
had done in educational matters, Father Gillespie read the 
following names of living students' who had become priests or 
who were preparing for orders: 

Rev. Timothy B. Barrett, S. J. Mr. Thomas A. Becker, S. J. 

Rev. Charles Bart Mr. William J. Brooks, S. J. 

Rev. James B. Becker, S. J. Mr. Edward J. Carroll 

Rev. Ambrose O. Beaven Mr. Maurice J. Cahill 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 157 

Rev. Aloysius P. Brosnan, S. J. Mr. William A. Cahill 
Rev. Timothy V.Brosnahan,S.J. Mr. Daniel J. Cox 
Rev. John A. Chester, S. J. Mr. Richard A. Curtain 

Rev. James F. Colbert, 0. P. Mr. Cornelius J. Dacey 
Rev. Casper Elbert Mr. Patrick S. Downing, S. J. 

Rev. Francis de S.Fullerton, S.J. Mr. Ignatius P. Fealy 
Rev. Eugene A. Hannan Mr. Charles L. Ferry 

Rev. Owen A. Hill, S. J. Mr. Aloysius J. Guiney, S. J. 

Rev. Martin J. Hollohan, S. J. Mr. George Harrington 
Rev. John S. Hollohan, S. J. Mr. James A. Kennelly, S. J. 
Rev. Denis McCormick Mr. Aloysius J. Markham, S. J. 

Rev. James Donnelan Marr Mr. Charles J. Mullaly, S. J. 
Rev. Theodore A. Metcalf Mr. J. Vincent O'Hare, S. J. 

Rev. James J. O'Connor, S. J. Mr. David J. Roche, S. J. 
Rev. Patrick J. Quill, S. J. Mr. Edward J. Sweeney, S. J. 

Rev. William J. Tynan, S. J. Mr. Albert E. Smith. 
Rev. David T. Williams. 

Father Gillespie referred to the many men who had filled 
other walks in life with honor and distinction, and said that 
in the United States Senate men who had been pupils in the 
college sat side by side. He concluded his remarks by intro- 
ducing Mr. John J. Dolan, an alumnus, who said in part: 

" Your Eminence, Very Rev. Provincial, Reverend Fathers, 
Fellow Alumni, Ladies and Gentlemen: The diamond jubilee of 
Gonzaga College, which is being fittingly celebrated during 
these festive days, brings together in glad reunion hundreds of 
her sons who return to the touch of that genial mother of their 
youthful intellects whom they are proud to call by the endearing 
title Alma Mater. 

"The successful career of Gonzaga College in the past has 
been a potent factor in the life of the nation's capital. Almost 
the pioneer of all educational institutons in this city, none has 
surpassed her in efficiency as to the work it was and is her 
mission to accomplish. No worthy student has ever been 
turned from her doors, and many have been welcomed and 
educated by her under free scholarships. With less of fame 
and of humbler grade than her elder sister who sits in queenly 
splendor on the heights of Georgetown, yet guided by the same 



158 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

master hands, Gonzaga, too, has acted well her part and, in 
the words of Horace, it can be truly said: 'Lucri nescia sordidi 
intaminatis fidget honor ibus.' ' 

Mr. Daniel O'Connell Callaghan was the next speaker. He, 
as a former student of Gonzaga College, eloquently welcomed 
the Cardinal and referred in fitting terms to the work of His 
Eminence, and especially to the books written by him and 
which have done so much good for Mother Church. Mr. 
Callaghan 's remarks were vigorously applauded. 

Rev. Father Pardow, S. J., made a brief address, in which 
he referred to the number of conversions made by the "Faith 
of our Fathers," and to the fact that the Cardinal had written 
so much when he had so many other duties to perform. He 
said this should be an object lesson to the students of Gonzaga 
College. 

His Eminence replied to the addresses in his usual happy 
manner. He said, in part : 

"The Reverend Provincial was right in saying that the 
Archbishop of Baltimore could always rely upon the co-opera- 
tion of the sons of St. Ignatius, for the Archbishop of Baltimore 
has always found them loyal to the Hierarchy, submissive to 
ecclesiastical superiors, and working shoulder to shoulder with 
the secular clergy in promoting the cause of Catholicity. The 
Jesuits were the first pioneers in this part of America; 250 years 
ago they were the only priests in this part of the world. They 
traveled up and down the country, keeping alive the faith 
among the Catholics of that day. This Western Continent, 
and especially the Archdiocese of Baltimore, owes a debt to the 
Jesuit Fathers that can never be paid. We cannot forget that 
the first Archbishop of Baltimore, the venerable John Carroll, 
renowned equally as a patriot and a priest, was a member of 
the Society of Jesus, as was his successor, Archbishop Neale. 
It was not only in these early days that we find the sons of St. 
Ignatius engaged in their noble work, but as the stream of 
time flows nearer to us we find worthy successors to continue 
their work. I was surprised and delighted in reading the long 
catalogue of the Alumni of Gonzaga College to find that such 
a large number of students have become distinguished in the 
many walks of life, and that so many of them have devoted 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 159 

themselves to the service of God in the holy priesthood. The 
work of Gonzaga College speaks for itself; but it is not sufficient 
for us to express admiration for what has been done in the past. 
It is necessary to give practical assistance to enable the College 
to continue to advance in the future. Let all endeavor to in- 
crease the attendance of the College. Let parents send their 
sons, and guardians their wards, and let friends prevail upon 
their friends to patronize the College so that the Fathers may be 
enabled to complete the building of which this beautiful hall, 
probably one of the finest and most capacious in the city, is the 
beginning. I would be happy to see the completion of the new 
college." 

As His Eminence was compelled to take an early train for 
Baltimore, the reception ended without those in the audience 
enjoying the pleasure of shaking hands with him. 

The Church News gives the following account of 
the banquet tendered to the Alumni Society : 

As the Rev. Father Pardow said in his remarks, seventy- 
five years is a long time to wait for a dinner, and yet the Alumni 
of Gonzaga College did not enjoy their first alumni dinner until 
their Alma Mater was seventy-five years old. The banquet 
was served Monday evening in the large room on the lower 
floor of the new hall. 

The three days' celebration of the diamond jubilee of Gon- 
zaga College closed Tuesday. At 9 o'clock a.m. Solemn High 
Requiem Mass was celebrated for the repose of the souls of the 
deceased members of the faculty, the alumni, benefactors, and 
friends of the College. The celebrant was Rev. William J. 
Tynan, S. J., with Rev. Edmund J. Burke, S. J., as deacon, and 
Mr. George L. Coyle, S. J., subdeacon. The panegyric was 
delivered by Rev. John A. Chester, S. J., of Loyola College, 
Baltimore. 

The celebration closed Tuesday night with the play "Guy 
Mannering" rendered in a highly artistic manner by the 
students. 

A new feature in the College this year, 1896, 
was the Gonzaga College Band. A drum corps 



160 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

had been in existence for some years, and out of 
the best material in the corps a band was formed 
of some twenty pieces. Practice was begun in 
September, under the direction of Mr. Amabile 
Samuels, of the Marine Band, and so earnestly and 
so successfully did the young musicians practice 
that after two months they very creditably made 
their first appearance on the occasion of the Jubilee 
celebration. The cadets had always been warmly 
invited to the fairs and lawn parties that occurred 
in the various parishes in the city, but on the addi- 
tion of the band they were in still greater demand, 
and during this year many were the occasions when 
they attended festivities of this nature. Such, 
indeed, had been the proficiency of the band under 
the stimulating influence of Mr. George L. Coyle, 
S. J., and the painstaking efforts of Mr. Samuels, 
that it was thought capable of giving a public 
concert, and accordingly, on February 26, 1897, 
after a few weeks of special practice, it was able 
to entertain its many friends in the new hall with a 
very enjoyable programme. 

On March 4, at the inauguration of President 
McKinley, the Gonzaga College Cadets, headed by 
band and drum corps, marched in the procession, 
and the soldierly appearance of the two companies 
and the excellent playing of the band won the ap- 
plause of all along the line of march. 

While the College was gaining laurels through 
its military by martial display and soul-stirring 
music, it cultivated none the less the arts of peace. 
The Phocion Society, under Rev. John M. Colgan, 
S. J., pursued its more retired, but even more bene- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 161 

ficial, career. Its weekly meetings were held regu- 
larly during the year, and its members thus acquired 
no little skill in the treatment of subjects both liter- 
ary and political. The annual debate took place on 
March 25. The subject of the debate was the all- 
absorbing topic of the day, the Cuban question: 
" Resolved, That the United States recognize the in- 
dependence of Cuba." For the affirmative were 
James F. Markey and Henry A. Hegarty; for the 
negative, J. Vincent Coughlan and Ernest Briscoe. 
The judges were Rev. William J. Ennis, S. J., Vice- 
President of Georgetown College, Mr. Leon To- 
briner and Mr. Michael J. Colbert, both of the legal 
profession. The honors were awarded to J. Vincent 
Coughlan, and the debate decided in favor of the 
negative side. 

In May of this year a fair was held in the base- 
ment of the new hall for the purpose of clearing off 
the remaining debt on the hall. The fair was under 
the management of Rev. P. J. O'Connell, S. J., and 
so zealously did he exert himself and so ably was he 
assisted by his many self-sacrificing co-laborers 
among the lady members of the parish, that the 
result surpassed all expectations. The receipts 
amounted to over $4,400.00. 

The Commencement took place in the new hall 
on the morning of June 17. The occasion was 
honored by the presence of the Delegate Apostolic, 
Archbishop Martinelli, who presided at the exer- 
cises. A very agreeable programme was presented, 
the speeches recommending themselves for their 
brevity, depth of thought and style. The orators 
of the day were: James F. Markey, "Shakespeare's 



162 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Julius Caesar"; J. Vincent Coughlan, "Shake- 
speare's Roman Politician"; Henry A. Hegarty, 
"Shakespeare's Roman Orator"; Robert J. Ach- 
stetter, "Shakespeare's Roman Gentleman." 

The address to the students was delivered A by the 
Very Rev. Thomas J. Conaty, D. D., Rector of the 
Catholic University of America. He said in part: 

Your Excellency, Reverend Fathers, Ladies and Gentlemen: I 
desire to express my thanks to the Rector of the College for the 
very kind invitation which has given me the privilege of appear- 
ing here today. I congratulate the young men of the College 
and their friends upon the close of another academic year and 
upon the merited excellence of the work which has been done. 
The College merits a kindly greeting from the University, for 
the interest which the University has in general education is 
particularly directed to the colleges, for the University builds 
its work upon college work well done. The University estab- 
lishes and maintains the higher forms of instruction and de- 
velops more fully and specially the instruction which has been 
received in the college courses. I extend to this college a 
neighbor's greeting, for the interest which we have in all the 
colleges is intensified by neighborhood. I congratulate the 
College on its work as I have known of it; and from what I 
have listened to today, I certainly feel it is deserving of special 
commendation. The work of the College is a work which 
appeals to ah the people. College education is not merely 
intended to be for the advantage of the men who pass through 
the college instruction, but that what they receive in college 
life may be used afterwards for the benefit of the people. 
College men are few in the great mass of the people, but college 
men are called to be leaders of the people, and never before in 
our time and in our country has there been a demand for col- 
lege education more strongly emphasized than at present. 

The college man that is needed today is a man knowing not 
merely the classics of the classroom, knowing not merely the 
history of the world as it has passed before him upon the stage, 
but it is the man with the knowledge of faith in God, as well as 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 163 

knowledge of the things of the earth. We need Christian 
college men; we need men of faith in God, as well of faith in 
men. We need men who have delved and carved out for them- 
selves knowledge from the pagan classics, without forgetting 
the knowledge of the Christian doctrine, who have beautified 
pagan learning and who have left us more to be proud of than 
all the sayings of pagan sages, no matter how wise they were. 
The gentleman Shakespeare depicts to us in the person of 
Brutus is a beautiful specimen of a gentleman, but it is a speci- 
men of a pagan gentleman. It is simply a natural man de- 
veloped according to his natural tastes. Take that pagan 
gentleman and indoctrinate him with a Christian idea and you 
have a Christian gentleman, the highest type of manhood that 
the world can possibly know. The scholar of the pagan days* 
like the gentleman of the pagan days, was a man to be admired. 
He loved books, and he re?d them to the last chapter. He 
loved nature, and he studied it as far as he could; but after all, 
it was simply the natural man that appeared in that scholar. 
We need scholars like this. We love nature and love scholar- 
ship, but we also need scholars who love Christ and His religion 
more than they love nature and pagan learning. We need 
that minds be trained as God would have them. 

.... This Christian scholar should have ambition to be 
the ablest scholar in the land; not merely to study with the 
masters of purely natural science, but to be led by the hand of 
Christian masters, who as scholars are satisfied with nothing 
except the front rank in scholarship, and whose lives of faith 
give them insight into a knowledge which cannot be found in 
books. God gives us talents to be developed, and God gives 
you young men opportunities to develop those talents according 
to the very best lines. This is a thought I would give you today, 
and as your parents and friends see you advance, as you pass 
along from one grade of school to another until you have finally 
ended your college work, let them feel that any sacrifice made 
for you is a sacrifice that will be blessed by God. But, my 
dear young men, your parents and friends and teachers demand 
one thing of you — that is, that you be true to the education 
which the college offers you; that when you are called to take 
your place in the ranks of life, whether it be in the learned 



164 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

professions or in the ordinary vocations of business, wherever 
it may be, you wil] be Christian gentlemen and Christian 
scholars. You will know the world, because you know well 
what is expected of you, and you are trained to meet the calls 
of duty. 

Therefore, my dear young men, as this is a word of encourage- 
ment to yourselves, so it is to your teachers a word of con- 
gratulation. ... As Catholic students we are called to 
stand in the front rank of science and of scholarship second to 
none because it is our duty to be the first. We are guided in 
our knowledge by the Church, and the Church that sends us 
forth is the Church of God. Let Catholics be leaders and not 
followers. This is the advice of our great Pope, the illustrious 
Leo XIII. We ought to be the best, for we have the best. 
We have the best men and training; our teachers are men of 
learning and of faith, and we have the light of God to guide us 
in our training. We have the great Church of God to tell us 
what is truth and what is error. . . . 

Here closes the Jubilee year of old Gonzaga. 
Bearing lightly the burden of the many years that 
have passed over her, the institution feels encour- 
aged by the honors she has received during the 
past year, and, inspired with a new courage and a 
rejuvenated vigor, looks forward to many years of 
labor in the grand cause of education. More than 
ever she sees the need of Catholic education for 
the youth of our country, and with whole-souled 
devotion she is ready to employ her best energies 
in the work of implanting in the minds and hearts 
of the young the knowledge and the principles that 
will enable them to fight victoriously the battle of 
life. She would, as far as in her lies, stay the torrent 
of evils that must necessarily menace any commu- 
nity that fosters an education that is admittedly 
Christless. Aware of the fact that the child en- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 165 

trusted to her care is possessed not merely of an 
intellect that is to be made to think, but also of a 
heart that is to be made to love the true and will the 
right, and knowing that the eternal and super- 
natural life of the child should be provided for no 
less than the temporal life, she endeavors to so 
fashion her system of education as to reach the 
whole child, his soul and heart as well as his mind 
and body. Long may she continue in her glorious 
work, and if difficulties assail her in the future as 
they have done in the past, she may find a new 
inspiration to her courage and a new incentive to 
perseverance in the legend she has chosen for herself — 

"IN CRUCE GLORIOR." 



CHAPTER XVII 
Rev. John F. Galligan, S. J. (1898-1899) 

Our revered and beloved Father Gillespie had the 
distinction of closing the third and opening the 
fourth quarter of Gonzaga's first century as a 
college. Poor health obliged him to lay aside the 
cares of office in 1898, and on July 2 of that year 
Father John F. Galligan, S. J., succeeded him as 
seventeenth President or Rector. Father Galligan 
presided over Gonzaga only a single year. 

The officers and faculty for 1898 included: Rev. 
Fr. John F. Galligan, Rector; Fr. William J. Tynan, 
Minister; Fr. Albert Peters, Chaplain; Fr. Edward 
I. Devitt, Prefect of Studies; Frs. Francis McAtee, 
Patrick Forhan, Patrick O'Connell, Parish-priests; 
Frs. William O'B. Pardow, John M. Colgan, John 
J. Ryan, Joseph Hann and Messrs. William J. 
O'Gorman, James A. Mullen, Charles W. Lyons, 
Teachers. 

On August 8 the Gonzaga Cadets went into 
encampment at St. Inigoes, Maryland, and returned 
August 21, much improved by the experience. 
Monsignor Sbaretti, of the Apostolic Delegation, 
took farewell of friends at the College on August 15, 
prior to his departure for Europe. When classes 
opened on September 12, 140 students registered, 
and this large registration augured well for the 
success of the year. On September 28, Fr. Francis 
Barnum, S. J., just back from Alaska, entertained 
the Fathers with an interesting account of his labors 

166 




Rev. John F. Galligan, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 169 

in the far north and promised a lecture to the 
student body. 

These were the days of prosperity for the Gonzaga 
Cadets, and the young soldiers figured largely in 
different events of the year. Thanksgiving Day, 
November 24, witnessed them at a Military Mass in 
St. Aloysius', and the papers of that date are full 
of their praises. The Apostolic Delegate, after- 
wards Cardinal Martinelli, was present with his 
entire suite, and Fr. Pardow preached an eloquent 
sermon on the lessons derivable from our flag and 
its three colors. 

A notable feature of church work at this period 
was the success which attended Fr. Pardow's en- 
deavors to band together the men of the parish 
in the interests of the League of the Sacred Heart. 
The Upper Church was reserved for their use every 
Third Friday of the month, and they crowded its 
walls to hear his instructive and persuasive dis- 
courses. Men's League night became an institution, 
to develop later under the able management of 
Fr. McDonnell into the Third Sunday Brigade. 
Mrs. Thyson, a lifelong resident of the parish, 
and known to all old-timers for her piety and charity, 
was buried from the church on December 8 of this 
year. The Students' Play, "The Hidden Gem," 
rendered on December 27, proved a great success. 

On January 5, 1899, Fr. Stephen Kelly, well and 
favorably known to the parishioners of the early 
eighties, was added to the staff to replace Fr. Forhan. 
His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, favored Gonzaga 
with a visit on January 16. The occasion was a 
lecture by the Rt. Rev. John Lancaster Spalding, 



170 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 



Bishop of Peoria, for the benefit of the new Trinity 
College, to be conducted by the Sisters of Notre 
Dame at Brookland, D. C. Mr. Fullerton, the 
oldest member of the parish, and father to Fr. 
Francis Fullerton, S. J., died January 19, and was 
buried from the church. 

A blizzard that visited practically the whole 
country, on February 13, closed the college an 
entire week. On February 24, the Cadets treated 
the Provincial, Rev. Edward Purbrick (of the 
English Province of the Society) to a Dress Parade 
and Band Concert on the campus. The Annual 
Debate of the Phocion Society took place on March 
22. Monsignor Martinelli assisted at services in 
the church on Easter Sunday, April 2. The College 
Band Concert and Prize Drill on April 4 proved so 
successful that they were repeated by request on 
April 5. On April 11 the class of Philosophy had 
Science Night in College Hall. About this time 
Rev. Fr. Galligan's poor health began to cause some 
concern. After short stays at Frederick and at St. 
Thomas' Manor, he returned on May 4, much 
improved. Brother Schroen, S. J., who eventually 
decorated the whole interior of the church, visited 
the College on May 2 to get an idea of the work to 
be done. To help defray the expenses attending the 
improvements, a May Festival was inaugurated on 
May 15 in the College Hall and was continued five 
evenings. 

Various civic parades in Washington on May 23, 
24 and 25, commemorative of the Cuban War and 
Dewey's victory at Manila, gave the Gonzaga 
Cadets and the Military Band opportunity to dis- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 171 

play their ability, and their creditable showing won 
the College new laurels and wider distinction. 
These two organizations likewise figured largely in 
the May Procession of May 28, considered the finest 
and largest for years. On Memorial Day, May 30, 
the band went to Frederick, Md., to participate in 
the ceremonies there. Next day the Cadets went 
to River View on their annual excursion. Com- 
mencement exercises were held in the hall on June 
22. Of the three graduates only one took a degree 
in the Latin Course. The orator of the occasion was 
the Rev. John Chidwick, chaplain of the ill-fated 
Maine at the time of her destruction in Havana 
Harbor. 

On June 27, Rev. Fr. Galligan set out for New 
York, never to return. He had been ailing for 
months; and with a view to mending his impaired 
health, he made the entire trip by water, in company 
with Fr. Hann and Messrs. Mullen, Lyons and 
O' Gorman. He reached New York on Thursday, 
June 29, somewhat improved by the voyage. But 
the improvement was of short duration. Saturday 
there was a change for the worse, and on Sunday 
morning, July 2, he died at St. Francis Xavier's 
College, New York, and was laid to rest in the 
cemetery at St. John's College, Fordham. The 
immediate cause of his death was softening of the 
brain, due to years of strenuous labor in the service 
of souls. He was President of Gonzaga a year to 
the day and lived long enough in Washington to 
endear himself to the boys of the College and the 
people of the parish. He was born in Boston in 
1859, and was only forty years old at the time of his 



172 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

death. After the usual studies of the Society of 
Jesus, he had taught five years in Sacred Heart 
College, Denver, and had labored in Philadelphia 
and at Woodstock, Maryland. Funeral services 
were held in St. Aloysius' Church on July 4. Mon- 
signor Martinelli was present and gave the last 
absolution. A catafalque was erected, the altar 
and Fr. Galligan's confessional were draped with 
mourning, and audible sobs during the services were 
witness to the esteem of the worshipers for their 
beloved pastor. That same day a touching letter 
of condolence was received from His Eminence, 
Cardinal Gibbons. 

Father William J. Tynan was installed as Vice- 
Rector on July 5, pending the appointment of a 
successor to Father Galligan. Father Michael J. 
Mahony arrived a few days before from Ireland, 
where he had been finishing his theological studies, 
and was assigned to parish-work for the rest of the 
vacation. On July 25 the work of renovating and 
decorating the church was begun. 

1899-1900 

The Faculty-list for the ensuing year was posted 
July 31. It included: Rev. Fr. William J. Tynan, 
Vice-Rector; Fr. Joseph A. Gorman, Minister; 
Fr. John Conway, Prefect of Studies; Fr. Albert 
Peters, Chaplain; Frs. Patrick O'Connell, William 
O'B. Pardow, Stephen Kelly, John J. Ryan, Parish- 
priests; Frs. Martin J. Hollohan and Joseph Hann, 
with Messrs. William O'Gorman, James Mullen and 
Richard H. Tierney, Teachers. 

On August 2, Solemn Mass of Requiem was said 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 173 

for Fr. Galligan. Father Eugene Hannan of St. 
Anthony's Church preached and many priests were 
present. The work of scaffolding the church was 
begun on August 4. On August 5, the Gonzaga 
Cadets went to St. Inigoes, Md., to spend two weeks 
in camp. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
Rev. Edward X. Fink, S. J. (1899-1907) 

ON August 30, 1899, Rev. Fr. Edward X. Fink 
was proclaimed the eighteenth President of 
Gonzaga College. He was destined to govern 
Gonzaga till August 26, 1907, when broken health 
compelled him to relinquish office. On September 
4, he inaugurated his long and memorable term with 
an auspicious opening of schools, the College num- 
bering 114 students, the Girls' Parochial School 
counting 334, the Boys' 85. Mass of the Holy 
Ghost was said on September 13, and Fr. John 
Conway preached. The College Band had by this 
time achieved considerable reputation and was 
invited, on September 17, to participate in the cere- 
monies attendant on the opening of the Franciscan 
Monastery at Brookland, D. C. The following 
week, on September 24, the band accompanied Fr. 
Cutler's excursion to Chapel Point, Md. Dewey 
Day, proclaimed by the Government to honor 
Dewey's victory at Manila, witnessed a mammoth 
civic celebration, giving cadets and band another 
opportunity to display their military training and 
musical ability. 

Early in November the work of renovating and 
decorating the Upper Church was nearing comple- 
tion, and December 3 was set for opening day. On 
this occasion Solemn Pontifical Mass was celebrated 
by Monsignor Sebastian Martinelli, Apostolic Dele- 
gate, and Monsignor Thomas J. Shahan, D. D., 
Rector of the Catholic University, preached an 
eloquent sermon. Sunday, February 3, 1900, was 

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HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 177 

a busy and notable day at Gonzaga. It witnessed 
the consecration of Monsignor Donatus Sbaretti, 
the newly appointed Bishop of Havana, Cuba, and 
hosts of his friends were entertained at the College 
before and after service in the church. Two weeks 
later, on February 18, Bishop Sbaretti favored the 
people of the parish with a Pontifical Mass, and on 
February 21 he left for Havana by way of Tampa. 
The College Alumni Banquet took place on February 
20, with 48 in attendance. An elaborate menu was 
served, and some notables figured on the list of 
speakers. Ralph Jeflers talked on "Seminary Days" ; 
Henry A. Hogan on the "New Gonzaga"; E. D. F. 
Brady on "College Societies." Hon. Seth Shephard, 
LL. D., responded to the toast, "The National 
Capital," and Rev. Eugene Hannan, to "Our 
Country." 

This year the feast of St. Patrick, March 17, was 
kept with a Solemn High Military Mass, and Fr. 
Patrick Quill, of the Gesu in Philadelphia, officiated 
as preacher. The May Procession on May 27, with 
800 children in line, was a most elaborate affair, 
participated in by the College Cadets and their 
band. On May 29 the Cadets had their annual 
excursion to River View on the Potomac. The 
Public Elocution Contest was held in the hall on 
June 6 and proved a very creditable showing. Com- 
mencement exercises, the Papal Delegate presiding, 
closed the work of the year on June 21, and the 
Chronicler hesitates not to award them the palm 
over the Georgetown exercises, held the same morn- 
ing. A lawn party was opened on the College 
grounds July 16 and continued till July 27. 



178 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

1900-1901 

On July 31 appointments for the coming scholastic 
year were posted to the following effect: Rev. Fr. 
Edward X. Fink, Rector; Fr. Joseph Gorman, 
Minister; Fr. William O'B. Pardow, Chaplain; Frs. 
John Ryan, John B. Kelleher, Patrick O'Connell, 
and Stephen Kelly, Parish-priests; Fr. J. F. X. 
O' Conor, Prefect of Studies; Fathers Martin J. 
Hollohan, Patrick J. Casey and Joseph Hann, with 
Messrs. Walter Drum, James Mullen, Francis Kreis, 
and Richard H. Tierney, Teachers. 

After a month of fruitful work in the parish, Fr. 
Joseph H. Smith left on August 3, for Frederick, 
Md. The annual encampment of the Cadets at 
St. Inigoes, Md., under the able management of 
Fr. Hann, opened on August 11, to close on August 
18. August 14 was a memorable day in the com- 
munity, because it marked the close of Father 
Stephen Kelly's fiftieth year as a Jesuit. Jubilee 
Exercises were, however, postponed till the ensuing 
October 4. Classes opened on September 4, with an 
enrollment of 101. Announcement was made, Octo- 
ber 22, that Father Purbrick had been recalled to 
England, to be succeeded in the office of Provincial 
by Fr. Thomas J. Gannon. The Students' Retreat, 
under the direction of Fr. Owen A. Hill, was begun 
October 29. Thanksgiving Day, November 29, was 
kept with the usual Military Mass, at which Fr. 
Charles B. Macksey preached an eloquent sermon. 
On December 2, Fr. Pardow inaugurated another 
of his successful Advent Courses in the church. 
This year of 1901, the Alumni Banquet was held on 
February 12, in Metropolitan Hall, and proved a 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 179 

great success. Mr. Brosnahan, father to our Fr. 
Timothy Brosnahan, was buried from the church on 
February 18. In his death the parish lost one of its 
esteemed and most highly respected members. The 
Annual Play was presented by the students on Feb- 
ruary 19 and was up to the usual high standard. 
On March 28, the members of the Phocion Society 
in debate treated their friends to a learned and elo- 
quent discussion, turning on the advisability of 
maintaining a standing army of 100,000 men in time 
of peace. Mr. John P. Meagher of Junior was 
chairman of the meeting, while Messrs. Quinlan, 
Diemer, Devereux and Mattingly participated in 
the debate. 

Fr. John S. Hollohan, an Alumnus of Gonzaga, 
died at Georgetown Hospital on April 12, 1901, at 
the early age of 37 years. He was one of two 
brothers, Martin and John, who gave their lives to 
the service of God in the Society of Jesus, and every- 
where in the course of their labors reflected great 
credit on their Alma Mater, bequeathing to bereaved 
relatives and friends the precious memory of their 
heroic virtues and splendid achievements. Father 
John was buried from St. Aloysius' with solemn and 
impressive ceremonies on April 15, and his mortal 
remains were laid to rest in the Jesuit cemetery at 
Georgetown. His biographer in the Woodstock Let- 
ters of 1901 closes with this tribute: "A short hour 
in his company served to fill even strangers with 
esteem and prompted years afterwards solicitous 
inquiry concerning his welfare. Wherever he paused 
in his labors of the ministry to preach retreats, he 
was sure to leave whole communities filled with a 



180 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

tender regard for his sterling piety, unselfish kind- 
ness, and nobility of character." 

On May 9, the students of Gonzaga and the 
people of St. Aloysius' honored with an enthusiastic 
reception the Apostolic Delegate, His Eminence, 
Cardinal Martinelli, but recently elevated to this 
crowning honor in the Church. Gonzaga Hall was 
filled to overflowing with an appreciative gathering 
of admirers, who listened with rapt attention to 
laudatory discourses pronounced by three eminent 
laymen, Judge Joseph Daly of New York, Mr. 
William Michael Byrnes of Delaware, and Mr. 
Edgar H. Gans of Maryland. Judge Daly took for 
topic, "America and the Religious"; Mr. Byrnes, 
"America and the Delegate"; and Mr. Gans, "Amer- 
ica and the Church," and all three did ample justice 
to their subjects. The first speaker dwelt at some 
length on the great missionary enterprises in Amer- 
ica set on foot and fostered by the religious orders 
of the Church. The second pronounced a spirited 
defense and a glowing eulogy of the temporal power 
of the Pope. The third speaker vindicated the 
sacred nature of authority and showed the likeness 
in force between American principles and those of 
the Papacy. Three days later, on Sunday, May 13, 
St. Aloysius' Church witnessed another splendid 
display in honor of the newly made Cardinal. The 
occasion was Cardinal Martinelli's first Pontifical 
High Mass in his capacity of Cardinal. Everything 
was in strict harmony with the splendid event, the 
decorations, the music of the Mass, the vestments 
worn, the assemblage of notables present to honor 
the chief representative in America of Our Holy 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 181 

Father, the Pope. The sermon preached by Fr. 
Pardow was an eminent orator's tribute to an emi- 
nent Churchman and a brilliant exposition of the 
triumphs achieved by the Church down through the 
ages of history. He began with the arrest of St. 
Peter and the others in Jerusalem for preaching 
Christ, and touched the three centuries of persecu- 
tion under the Roman emperors, pausing long enough 
to eulogize the great St. Augustine, founder of the 
Augustinian Order, made famous in modern times 
by the illustrious Cardinal Martinelli. 

On June 2, the Cardinal officiated at Confirmation 
in the church, and on the same day the children of 
the parish closed the month of May with their 
annual procession in honor of the Virgin Mother of 
God. The College Elocution Contest this year was 
a splendid exhibition of dramatic skill, and was 
held on June 6. Commencement exercises on June 
21 finished the work of the year and Cardinal Mar- 
tinelli 's presence lent them additional splendor. 
Three of the student-speakers discussed phases of 
the murder perpetrated by Macbeth, as portrayed 
by Shakespeare; Mr. Frederick L. Devereux taking 
"The Temptation" for topic; Mr. Francis J. Die- 
mer, "The Crime"; and Mr. John P. Meagher, 
"Retribution." The Hon. Napoleon C. Burke ad- 
dressed the students, and his speech was a fervid 
piece of oratory on Catholic Education and the 
relation in force between strength of will and suc- 
cess. The feast of St. Ignatius was kept in the 
church on August 3, and it was featured by a graceful 
and eloquent panegyric of the Saint preached by 
Fr. Michael J. Mahony, Professor of Rhetoric at 



182 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Fordham University, New York. The keynote of 
the sermon, the lesson derivable from the lips of the 
hero of Pampeluna, was the need of consecration 
of self to the service of God. 

1901-1902 

On July 31, the staff for the coming scholastic 
year was announced. It included : Rev. Fr. Edward 
X. Fink, Rector; Fr. Joseph Gorman, Minister; Fr. 
Stephen Kelly, Chaplain; Fr. J. F. X. O'Conor, 
Prefect of Studies; Frs. Henry C. Semple, John B. 
Kelleher, Thomas A. Reid, Parish-priests; Frs. 
Anthony Mandalari, Martin J. Hollohan and Joseph 
Hann, with Messrs. Richard H. Tierney, Matthew 
L. Fortier, Henry A. Leary and Francis Kreis, 
Teachers. Fr. Pardow was sent to St. Ignatius' 
Church, New York City; Fr. Conway, to George- 
town College; Fr. Patrick O'Connell, to St. Mary's, 
Boston; Fr. Patrick J. Casey to the Mission Band; 
Mr. James Mullen, to Holy Cross College, Worces- 
ter; and Mr. Walter F. Drum, to Woodstock, Md. 

Classes in the College were resumed on September 
9, with the unusually high number of 225 students. 
Holiday was declared at the College on September 
14, in token of respect for the memory of President 
McKinley, who died at this date of wounds inflicted 
by an assassin at Buffalo, New York. The College 
Cadets and band participated, September 17, in 
the procession decreed by the authorities of Washing- 
ton in memory of the dead President. Solemn 
religious services were held in the church on Sep- 
tember 19 to commemorate the same sad event 
and give the parishioners opportunity to manifest 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 183 

their grief at the great loss our country suffered. 
On that occasion Fr. Timothy O'Leary preached a 
memorable sermon on our Church's advocacy of 
strict obedience to civil rulers, and in severe terms 
condemned the dark and treasonable methods of 
secret societies, denouncing them as nurseries of 
assassins. The Students' Retreat was opened on 
September 23 and conducted by Fr. Semple. On 
October 13 Solemn High Mass was sung in the 
church, in celebration of the jubilee of Pope Leo 
XIII. 

A mammoth Bazaar for the benefit of the Boys' 
Parochial School was inaugurated in Gonzaga Col- 
lege Hall the evening of November 4, to close on 
November 16. The old structure on I Street N.E., 
that for generations housed the successive classes 
of the parochial school, was for a long while a sub- 
ject of anxiety and concern to the Fathers in charge. 
It is described in a periodical published in the 
interests of the Bazaar as "poor, uninviting and 
totally unsuited for its purpose, as well as devoid of 
all modern appliances and conveniences." The 
proceeds of this Bazaar formed the nucleus of the 
fund that eventually resulted in the magnificent 
building that now fronts North Capitol Street, 
between the church and K Street, and must forever 
remain a monument to the zeal and industry of 
good Father Fink and his co-workers in the cause 
of Catholic education. The Bazaar, the periodical 
just referred to, is a complete history of the affair 
from start to finish, and its list of patrons, donors, 
winners and advertisers is really an Honor List of 
which the men and women concerned, as well as 



184 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

their children, can well feel proud. Cardinal Marti- 
nelli graciously condescended to open the Bazaar 
with his blessing, and Mr. Ross, one of the Com- 
missioners of the District, lent his distinguished 
presence to the occasion and urged the workers 
towards success, in a neat and scholarly speech, 
commending the Fathers of the parish and empha- 
sizing the need of right education as a requisite for 
good citizenship. 

Fr. J. F. X. O'Conor preached a course of Advent 
sermons in the church during December and took, 
for general topic the Beauty of the Church, treating 
his subject under the four headings, Physical, 
Moral, Intellectual, and Spritual Beauty. On De- 
cember 21 Mrs. Quill, a lifelong resident of the 
parish and mother of Fr. Patrick Quill, S. J., was 
buried from the church. The College Elocution 
Contest on January 21, 1902, was responsible for 
another splendid display of oratorical talent among 
the students. On February 9 His Eminence Car- 
dinal Gibbons confirmed a large class of children and 
adults. Death again visited the community on 
March 4. Fr. Mandalari, Professor of Senior, fell 
a victim to pneumonia, dying after a remarkably 
short illness. Funeral services were held in the 
church on March 6, and his remains were interred 
in the Jesuit cemetery at Georgetown. During the 
remainder of the school term Fr. Holaind of George- 
town substituted for Fr. Mandalari as Professor of 
Philosophy. 

In April steps were taken to renovate the Lower 
Church, and Fr. Gorman immediately set to work 
with a corps of efficient helpers in the parish. The 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 185 

result was that, when on June 22 the Lower Church 
or basement was reopened with impressive cere- 
monies, it wore the appearance of an entirely new 
structure. The ceiling and walls had been painted 
throughout, a grand organ and a magnificent marble 
altar had been installed, highly artistic windows of 
stained glass were put in place, and the pews, that 
had served generations of worshipers in the Upper 
Church, were transferred to the Lower Church to 
add to its beauty. Bishop Sbaretti, of Havana, 
was the celebrant on the occasion, and Fr. Quirk 
of Baltimore preached the sermon. The Alumni 
Banquet took place on April 9 and was an alto- 
gether memorable affair. Rev. Fr. Fink made the 
principal address, which was an overhwelming an- 
swer to such unripe and ignorant critics as heap 
with blame the methods and processes of Catholic 
education. Shakespeare's "King John" was the 
play chosen for presentation this year by the College 
Dramatic Society, and under Fr. Hann's expert 
management it proved a most emphatic success. 
It was first acted on April 16, and appreciative 
admirers demanded its repetition on the 17th and 
18th. On May 9 Cardinal Martinelli left Washing- 
ton to take up his residence in Rome, and Fr. John 
Conway had the honor of escorting the illustrious 
Church dignitary to New York. The Annual De- 
bate occurred on May 22, and the election of senators 
by popular vote was the question discussed. As 
usual, the month of Our Lady closed with becoming 
ceremonies on May 25, and the procession this year 
was of unwonted splendor. Fr. Timothy Barrett 
preached the sermon. 



186 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Memorial Day services were held in the church on 
June 1. A Solemn High Military Mass was sung, 
with Bishop Sbaretti presiding, and it was attended 
by the Gonzaga Cadets, the Emmet Guard and other 
military organizations of the District. The Col- 
lege Band closed its work for the year with a grand 
concert on June 4. Commencement exercises were 
held at Columbia Theater on June 18. The occa- 
sion marked an event in the upward history of 
Gonzaga, because seven young men were crowned 
Bachelors of Arts, and two others received degrees 
in post-graduate courses. The Hon. Charles Jerome 
Bonaparte of Baltimore addressed the graduates, 
and his speech was a luminous and eloquent explana- 
tion of what True Americanism really means. 
Added features contributed to making this one of 
the most notable commencements in the annals of 
Gonzaga. The patronal feast of the church was 
observed this year with great solemnity. His Emi- 
nence Cardinal Gibbons presided at the Solemn High 
Mass, and Fr. Aloysius P. Brosnan of Woodstock 
preached an eloquent panegyric of the young Saint 
Aloysius, emphasizing the need of the religious 
element in education. 

1902-1903 

The roster for the coming scholastic year was 
posted on July 31, and it carried the following 
appointments: Rev. Fr. Edward X. Fink, Rector; 
Fr. Joseph Gorman, Minister; Fr. John A. Morgan, 
Chaplain; Fr. J. F. X. O'Conor, Prefect of Studies; 
Frs. Francis McCarthy, Henry C. Semple. John B. 
Kelleher and Stephen Kelly, Parish-priests; Fr. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 187 

Joseph Harm, with Messrs. Joseph P. O'Reilly, 
Richard Fleming, Robert J. Tracy, Francis Kreis 
and Christopher Sullivan, Teachers. Fr. Martin J. 
Hollohan was changed from Gonzaga to Fordham 
University. 

The College opened on September 9, with an at- 
tendance of 161. On September 20 Fr. Edward 
Corbett succeeded Fr. Gorman as Minister. The 
next day Fr. Gorman left for St. Mary's in Boston. 
On October 20 ground was broken for the new 
Boys' Parochial School. The Students' Retreat 
was begun on November 10, with Fr. F. X. Brady of 
Baltimore for preacher. Thanksgiving Day, Novem- 
ber 27, was kept in the church with a Military Mass. 
The newly arrived Apostolic Delegate, Monsignor 
Diomede Falconio, honored the occasion with his 
presence and Fr. Charles W. Currier, D. D. (later 
Bishop of Matanzas, Cuba) preached. On Sunday, 
December 13, Gonzaga College and its friends ten- 
dered a most enthusiastic reception to the Apostolic 
Delegate in Gonzaga Hall. Rev. Fr. Fink opened 
proceedings with a brief address of welcome. Mr. 
Halloran read a poem written for the occasion by 
Dr. Maurice Francis Egan of the Catholic Uni- 
versity. Mr. D. I. Murphy followed with a dis- 
course, breathing tender sentiments of devotion to 
Pope and Church and Country, and highly laudatory 
of the Franciscan Order, which claimed the honored 
guest of the evening for an illustrious son. Another 
poem composed by Fr. Michael Byrne of Loyola 
College, Baltimore, was next read by Mr. Rossa 
Downing. Judge M. D. O'Connell, Solicitor of the 
Treasury, then welcomed the Delegate in his capac- 



188 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

ity of arbiter in ecclesiastical matters, and made 
graceful reference to the judicious wisdom of his 
predecessors in office, Cardinals Satolli and Marti- 
nelli. Monsignor Falconio responded feelingly, 
thanking everybody concerned for the splendid 
display in his honor, and speaking in no measured 
terms of the Pope's love for America. 

In February of 1903 the Fathers of the parish 
definitely decided to invite the Sisters of Mercy to 
assume charge of the Boys' Parochial School, which 
was on the eve of being transferred from its old 
quarters on I Street N. E., to the new and com- 
modious building on North Capitol Street, now 
rapidly nearing completion. About the middle of 
March word came from the Sisters to the effect that 
the proposition had their approval and that they 
would be ready to begin work in September. The 
Alumni Banquet, held this year in Gonzaga Hall on 
February 18,. was graced by the presence of Mon- 
signor Falconio and counted an unusually large 
number of guests. Mr. Leon Tobriner acted as 
toastmaster; Commissioner West spoke on "The 
District of Columbia and Its Growth"; Monsignor 
Rooker of the Papal Legation voiced in an elegant 
way the praises of Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIII, 
but two days removed from the completion of his 
twenty-fifth year as Sovereign Pontiff; Judge AshleA^ 
M. Gould answered the toast, "Our President"; 
and Fr. Quill did abundant justice to his topic, 
"The Alumni." Services commemorative of Pope 
Leo's Silver Jubilee, as Head of the Church, were 
held in St. Aloysius' on Sunday, March 8. Mon- 
signor Rooker preached a deeply impressive sermon 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 189 

tending to show that in spite of difficulties Pope 
Leo had accomplished the two projects he had most 
at heart, a widespread recognition of the power of 
the Papacy on the part of the nations, and a uni- 
versal readiness on the part of governments to follow 
the path leading to true peace and prosperity. 

St. Patrick's Day was kept this year with unusual 
solemnity. Right Rev. Thomas J. Conaty, D. D., 
Bishop-elect of Los Angeles, presided at a Solemn 
Military Mass, celebrated by Rev. Fr. Fink, Rector 
of Gonzaga. The College Cadets made a splendid 
showing on the occasion, and Fr. F. X. Brady, of 
Baltimore, in an eloquent discourse fired every Irish 
heart in his audience with enthusiasm, predicting 
the eventual freedom of Ireland and her ultimate 
deliverance from the yoke of the oppressor. The 
College Play acted on April 15 was another notable 
feature of the year's work. Shakespeare's "Henry 
IV" was the piece chosen for presentation, and the 
young actors scored another success. On May 28 
the Phocion Society in public debate discussed the 
present form of government prescribed for the 
District of Columbia. On June 2 the Cadets of 
the College treated their friends to a spirited Prize 
Drill and Band Concert. Commencement Exercises 
were held in Gonzaga Hall on June 17. Monsignor 
Denis J. O'Connell, Rector of the Catholic Univer- 
sity, delivered the address of the evening, an earnest 
appeal to the students to stand to duty in every 
emergency of life. 

The entire Catholic world mourned the loss of its 
Chief Pastor, when on July 20, 1903, announcement 
was made of Pope Leo's death. All through his 



190 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

eventful reign of twenty-five years and more, he 
had been a conspicuous figure in the various political, 
economic and religious events that agitated Europe 
and all mankind besides. He was the wonder of his 
time, and his superb qualities of mind and heart 
won him universal admiration. And his death pro- 
voked an outpouring of praise accorded to very few 
heroes in history. Enemies of the Church he guided 
and governed were as lavish of their encomiums 
as the devoutest Catholics, and the honor done 
his illustrious memory was far from being restricted 
to his own people and children in the faith. On 
July 23, his obsequies were kept with becoming 
solemnity in St. Aloysius' Church. Office of the 
Dead was recited, and Solemn Pontifical Requiem 
Mass was celebrated by Right Rev. Frederick Z. 
Rooker, the recently appointed Bishop of Jaro in 
the Philippine Islands. Archbishop Falconio, Apos- 
tolic Delegate, presided and pronounced the last 
absolution. Bishop Rooker delivered the eulogy, 
and Rev. Francis Marchetti of the Papal Legation 
acted as Master of Ceremonies. Fr. David Roche, 
a native of Washington and an old Gonzaga boy, 
left late in July for Jamaica, West Indies, to devote 
himself to missionary labors. 

1903-1904 

July 31 witnessed the usual posting of appoint- 
ments and changes in the College staff. Rev. Fr. 
Fink remained as Rector and Fr. Corbett as Min- 
ister. Fr. John O'Hara was made Prefect of Studies, 
Fr. David Daly, Treasurer, and Fr. John Morgan, 
Chaplain. Frs. Francis McCarthy, John B. Pittar, 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 191 

John B. Kelleher and Stephen Kelly were appointed 
to work in the parish. The teachers named were 
Frs. John Fleming and Frederick Heaney, with 
Messrs. Robert J. Tracy, John B. McLane, James 
M. Cotter, and John E. Hurley. 

. The election of Cardinal del Sarto as the new 
Pope, under the name of Pius X, was announced on 
August 4, and on August 7 solemn "Te Deum" 
services were held in the church. Fr. John 0' Dono- 
van preached, and Monsignor Marchetti, in the 
absence of Archbishop Falconio from the city, 
presided and gave Benediction. On September 3 
Mr. Aloysius J. Guiney, S. J., was at Gonzaga to 
attend the funeral of his brother, whose sudden death 
was due to a sad mishap, encountered on an errand 
of charity. The College opened on September 8, 
with an attendance of 160. A week later, on Sep- 
tember 14, Fr. James R. Gray came from Phila- 
delphia to replace Fr. Frederick Heaney, whom ill 
health obliged to retire to St. Inigoes for a rest. On 
September 16 occurred the funeral of Dr. Schafhirt, 
a convert to the faith, whose drug store was for 
years a landmark in the parish and a center of 
charity unsurpassed. Old residents recall with 
pleasure the many deeds of kindness done the poor 
and afflicted by this genial man of medicine, and 
venture the opinion that his charity had much to 
do with his ultimate conversion to the true faith. 

The Boys' Parochial School, now known as Gon- 
zaga School, opened this year on September 21, 
with 334 boys in attendance. Only a year before 
the roll call never rose higher than 171, and this 
marked increase in the number of pupils was due to 



192 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

several causes. Classes were conducted in the new 
and commodious quarters on North Capitol Street; 
the parish had enlisted for its boys the educational 
ability of the Sisters of Mercy, and good Fr. Pittar, 
now in charge of the school, had made a house to 
house canvass in search of recruits. The result of 
this Father's zeal and energy was that very few 
families escaped his vigilance, and the boys of St. 
Aloysius who afterwards attended the public schools 
could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The 
school itself was blessed with becoming ceremony on 
October 25, 1903. His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons 
officiated, and Rev. Charles Warren Currier, D. D., 
preached a ringing sermon on Catholic education 
and the duties of Catholic parents towards their 
children in this important matter. On .November 
12 Mr. William Brooks, S. J., was called from Wood- 
stock College to assist at the deathbed of his father, 
who was buried two days later from the church. 
Funeral services were held on November 18 for 
Sister Edward, a religious of Notre Dame and for 
some years a teacher in the girls' school. Thanks- 
giving Day, November 26, was kept with the usual 
Military Mass, Monsignor Falconio presiding, and 
Fr. O'Hara preaching. 

Every effort was being made at this time by the 
Fathers to raise funds for the Boys' Parochial School. 
Hon. Bourke Cockran of New York, the eminent ora- 
tor, as distinguished for his loyalty to the faith of his 
fathers as he is for his eloquence, graciously came to 
their assistance with the promise of a benefit lec- 
ture in Washington at an early date. December 3 
was the day chosen, and Lafayette Theater was 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 193 

crowded that Sunday evening with a distinguished 
and expectant audience. The theme chosen was 
"Catholicity and Democracy," and his audience was 
treated to a magnificent display of faith, erudition, 
eloquence and patriotism. The orator was at his 
best, and friends and admirers present felt satisfied 
that the lecture ranked high among his supremest 
oratorical efforts. Fr. Owen A. Hill was called from 
Holy Cross College, Worcester, on December 29, to 
officiate at the funeral of his brother. On December 
31 word of Brother Brady's death at the University 
Hospital came from Georgetown, and on January 
2, 1904, his remains were laid to rest in the George- 
town cemetery. Mary Smith, a familiar figure in 
the parish for many years, and a well-known bene- 
factress, died on January 22, and was buried from 
the church two days later. She died as she had 
lived, in the midst of poverty, a voluntary poverty 
that had for motive the enrichment of God's Sanc- 
tuary. All her savings were devoted to this divine 
purpose, and the Fathers attached to the church 
and college never forgot her generosity. Another 
Grand Bazaar for the benefit of the Boys' Parochial 
School was inaugurated January 25, to close on 
February 10, and The Cosmorama, a publication 
issued at intervals during its progress, is an accumu- 
lation of names that deserve and have a place in 
more enduring tablets kept by charity's recording 
angel. St. Patrick's Day was observed this year with 
a Military Mass, in presence of Monsignor Falconio, 
Fr. W. Read Mullen, S. J., preaching the Saint's 
panegyric. On March 20 His Eminence Cardinal 
Gibbons administered Confirmation to 293 children. 



194 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

The management of the Alumni Banquet, held on 
April 27, secured the presence of Hon. Bourke Cock- 
ran as a guest, and for result the banqueters enjoyed 
at his eloquent lips a rare discourse on "The Duties of 
Catholic Laymen in the United States." Other 
speakers were Congressman Goulden of New York, 
Monsignor O'Connell, Rector of the Catholic Uni- 
versity, Mr. Sheehy, an alumnus of Gonzaga, and 
Mr. Hannis Taylor, one-time U. S. Ambassador to 
Spain. The Annual Debate, on May 16, turned on 
the vexed question of assistance to Russia in its 
war with Japan. On the same day about 1,400 
pupils of the Sunday School participated in the 
annual May procession. They marched through 
several of the streets in the vicinity of the church, 
headed by Gonzaga Band, and presented a very 
pretty appearance. The Prize Drill and Band 
Concert, college features reserved for the end of the 
school year, took place on June 1, and added much 
to the military prestige of Gonzaga. Fr. Aloysius 
Roccofort, a veteran for years in the service of St. 
Aloysius', and lovingly remembered by generations 
of parishioners, was buried in Philadelphia on 
June 7. The Elocution Contest on June 2 proved a 
grand success, and Commencement Exercises on 
June 16 closed the work of a most encouraging year. 
Mr. F. L. Devereux, A. B., and Mr. W. C. Repetti, 
A. B., both of Gonzaga, were crowned Masters of 
Arts. William Bruce King, LL. D., an old Gonzaga 
boy and a prominent member of the District Bar, 
addressed the graduates, and himself eloquently 
summed up his discourse in this single line, "Amer- 
ican Catholicity and American Patriotism Are One." 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 195 

On June 18 Cardinal Satolli, first Apostolic Dele- 
gate to the United States, revisited Washington 
after an absence of some years. During his stay 
in the city the Secretary of War, Mr. William H. 
Taft, a large factor in adjusting the question of the 
Friars' lands in the Philippines, had the Cardinal for 
guest of honor at a dinner in the Arlington Hotel, 
and President Roosevelt entertained him at luncheon 
in the White House. The Cardinal likewise called 
at Gonzaga and spent a short while with the Fathers. 
St. Ignatius' Day, the patronal feast of the Society 
of Jesus, was kept with the usual solemnity on July 
31. Fr. Timothy Barrett of Woodstock preached 
the panegyric of the Saint. 

1904-1905 

Assignments for the coming year were posted on 
July 31, and they included the following: Rev. Fr. 
Edward X. Fink, Rector; Fr. Edward Corbett, 
Minister; Fr. David Daly, Treasurer; Fr. John A. 
Morgan, Chaplain; Fr. John O'Hara, Prefect of 
Studies; Frs. John B. Kelleher, Francis McCarthy, 
Stephen Kelly and John B. Pittar, Parish-priests; 
Fr. John J. Fleming and Messrs. John E. Hurley, 
John B. McLane, James M. Cotter, and Joseph A. 
Corcoran, Teachers. Fr. John Mulligan went to 
Georgetown College; Mr. Robert Tracy to Montreal 
to study theology. 

On August 17 Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, 
destined later to play so prominent a part in the 
history of Gonzaga, was announced as Minister, 
and Fr. Corbett went to Philadelphia to take up 
parish work in that city. On September 2 Fr. 



196 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Fleming was made Prefect of Studies, Fr. O'Hara 
going to Woodstock as Minister. Fr. Patrick J. 
Dooley was added about this time to the Staff. 
Schools opened on September 12, with these numbers: 
College, 105; Boys' School, 318; Girls' School, 405. 
At this date measures were taken to form a club for 
young men in the parish, and on September 25 the 
organization assumed definite shape. It was to be 
called "The Aloysius Club," and its purpose was 
stated to be the moral, intellectual and physical 
development of its members. Rev. Fr. Fink ap- 
pointed Fr. McDonnell its first Director, and under 
his able management it grew to proportions that 
surpassed all expectations. During its honorable 
career — and it is still in the field — it has staged many 
entertainments of rare merit and stands always ready 
to promote whatever project promises to further 
the interests of the parish. 

Father Philip Finegan of Baltimore opened the 
Students' Retreat on October 24. On October 25 
Fr. Francis Fullerton, S. J., a former Gonzaga boy, 
was buried at Georgetown after years of efficient 
labor in different educational centers. Thanks- 
giving Day, November 24, witnessed the usual 
Military Mass, Monsignor Falconio presiding, and 
Fr. Chas. B. Macksey, S. J., preaching the sermon. 
Appropriate exercises to commemorate the Jubilee 
Celebration of the Immaculate Conception were 
held in the College Hall on December 8. On Feb- 
ruary 12, 1905, a most successful Mission was brought 
to a close in the church, and Bishop Curtis of Wil- 
mington, Del., on the occasion confirmed 510 people. 
The Prize Drill and Band Concert took place on 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 197 

May 21, and on June 20 Commencement Exercises 
finished the work of the school year. 

1905-1906 

The following staff for the coming year was posted 
on July 31: Rev. Edward X. Fink, Rector; Fr. 
Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Minister; Fr. David C. 
Daly, Treasurer; Fr. John A. Morgan, Chaplain; 
Fr. Patrick J. Dooley, Prefect of Studies; Frs. Francis 
T. McCarthy, James A. Noonan, John B. Kelleher, 
John B. Pittar, Parish-priests; Messrs. John F. 
Fitzpatrick, Augustus M. Fremgen, Frank J. Kelly, 
Philip J. Debold, and Frank A. Byrne, Teachers. 

Fr. McDonnell preached the Students' Retreat 
between October 9 and October 12. Monsignor 
Falconio presided at the usual Military Mass on 
Thanksgiving Day, November 30, and Fr. Timothy 
J. Brosnahan of Woodstock preached. On March 
4, 1906, word came from Woodstock that Brother 
Thomas Kelly, for years a familiar figure at Gonzaga, 
had died after months of patient suffering. He 
was cook at the college for many terms and en- 
deared himself to everybody by his uniform patience, 
kindness and eminently edifying life. Fr. Joseph F. 
Hanselman was announced as Provincial on March 
25. Fr. Thomas A. Becker, a former boy of the 
parish and student at Gonzaga, preached the Good 
Friday sermon on April 13. Very Rev. Fr. Luis 
Martin, General of the Jesuits, died on April 18, 
and impressive ceremonies marked the Solemn Mass 
of Requiem chanted in his memory on April 28. 
The celebrant of the Mass and the preacher of the 
eulogy were Dominican Fathers, and Monsignor 



198 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Falconio presided at the obsequies. The May 
Procession on May 20 was unusually large, counting 
1,200 children. Commencement Exercises were held 
in the College Hall on June 19. The patronal feast 
of the Church and the College was kept on June 24 
with a Solemn Pontifical Mass by His Eminence 
Cardinal Gibbons, Bishop James A. McFaul of 
Trenton being the preacher. On June 23, Fr. 
Owen A. Hill was called from Worcester to officiate 
at the funeral of his father, Mr. John J. Hill. A 
most successful lawn fete, netting $3,560, was held 
on the college grounds between June 25 and July 6. 

1906-1907 

The Faculty list for the year was posted on July 
31, and included these names: Rev. Fr. Edward X. 
Fink, Rector; Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Minister; 
Fr. David C. Daly, Treasurer; Fr. James A. Noonan, 
Chaplain; Fr. John Scully, Prefect of Studies; 
Frs. Francis T. McCarthy, John B. Kelleher, and 
John B. Pittar, Parish -priests ; Frs. Matthew L. 
Fortier, Henry A. Leary and Messrs. Richard A. 
O'Brien, Philip J. Debold, and Frank A. Byrne, 
Teachers. 

The feast of St. Ignatius was kept with the usual 
solemnity in the church on August 5. Fr. William 
J. Brooks, a former student at Gonzaga, fresh from 
Ordination at Woodstock, sang the Mass, and Rev. 
Charles W. Currier, D. D., preached. This year 
Fr. McDonnell again gave the Students' Retreat. 
It began on October 15 and closed on October 18. 

On October 19 Fr. Martin J. Hollohan, a former 
pupil and teacher at Gonzaga, was called to his 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 199 

reward. After months of patient suffering, borne 
with the courage that characterized his whole life, 
he died piously in the Lord at Georgetown University 
Hospital and was laid to rest with his brother in the 
College Cemetery. He was a man of sterling piety, 
a ripe scholar, a consummate educator, and a preacher 
of a very high order. The young men who enjoyed 
the privilege of studying under his direction in- 
variably carried away from the experience his 
enthusiasm for good literature, and the worshipers 
at St. Aloysius' and elsewhere, who Sunday after 
Sunday listened with profit and delight to his in- 
spiring and eloquent sermons, still recall his com- 
manding presence and his words of advice as treasured 
memories of the past. 

Death visited the College again on November 26 
and released Fr. John Abell Morgan from his labors. 
Though he walked in the portals of death for months 
before the final summons came, the end was com- 
paratively sudden. He was seized with a stroke of 
apoplexy soon after supper, while seated with the 
Fathers at recreation. Extreme Unction was hur- 
riedly administered, and in a few minutes his soul 
had passed to its reward. At the time of his death 
he was within a year of his Golden Jubilee in the 
Society of Jesus, having entered in August of 1857, 
at the age of nineteen. He was descended from an 
old and respected family of Maryland, famous for 
its steadfastness in the Faith during the early days 
of persecution in the Colonies. After the prelimi- 
nary studies of the Society and after ordination to the 
priesthood in 1872, at the hands of Right Rev. 
James Gibbons, then Vicar-Apostolic of North 



200 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Carolina, he taught at Gonzaga and Georgetown. 
Between 1876 and 1884, he worked along the whole 
Atlantic coast, between New Brunswick and Florida, 
as an assistant to Fr. Bernard Maguire on the 
Missionary Band. From 1886 to 1890 he was 
Superior at St. Joseph's Church, Philadelphia, and 
after a year in the counties of Maryland, he was for 
nine years Rector at Loyola College, Baltimore. 
Five years before his death a stroke of paralysis in 
Philadelphia robbed him of his energies, and he 
never really recovered from the shock. He came to 
Gonzaga an invalid, and yet his indomitable spirit 
enabled him to write much of rare, historic interest. 
In the words of his chronicler and lifelong friend, 
Fr. Edward I. Devitt, "he was above all a good 
religious, carefully observant of duty in his own 
life, zealous for the glory of God and the salvation 
of souls." May his soul rest in peace. 

On November 30 Fr. Timothy Barrett, of Wood- 
stock, was called to Washington to assist at the 
funeral of his father, an old and esteemed member 
of the parish. Christmas services were unusually 
splendid this year. Monsignor Falconio presided 
at the Solemn High Mass and Fr. Timothy Barrett 
preached. Early in 1907, on January 2, Fr. Aloysius 
J. Guiney was summoned home to perform the last 
sad rites for his father. 



CHAPTER XIX 
Rev. Joseph J. Himmel, S. J. (1907-1908) 

APRIL 26 witnessed a change of administration 
at Gonzaga. On that date Fr. Joseph J. 
Himmel was proclaimed nineteenth Rector; 
and before the day closed Fr. Edward X. Fink was 
on his way to New York to begin work in St. Francis 
Xavier's, the new field of his labors. The good 
which Fr. Fink wrought in college and parish during 
his long term of nine years is a monument to his 
memory more enduring than marble. His adorn- 
ment of the Upper Church, in strict compliance 
with Fr. Gillespie's colossal plans, made it second 
to none in the city; the Lower Church became a 
new house of worship under his artistic touch; the 
numerous and splendid displays of ritual, attendant 
on solemn occasions, drew the attention of thousands 
to St. Aloysius'. The College got his best attention, 
and he made every effort consistent with prudence 
to raise the registration, enlist the cooperation of 
Alumni and old students, heighten the prestige of 
the Faculty personnel, and keep the standard of 
studies at top notch mark. Wide awake to the 
needs of the parish, he was swift to notice that the 
education of its growing boys demanded first atten- 
tion, and from the very beginning of his administra- 
tion as Rector he determined to build them a suit- 
able school and procure for them the services of 
trained religious teachers. Success crowned his 
efforts, and the Boys' Parochial School must forever 
stand an eloquent witness to the untiring industry 
of Fr. Fink and the persevering energy of his chief 

201 



202 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

helper, Fr. Pittar. The building itself has been 
declared by competent authority the finest of its 
kind in the archdiocese, and the good Sisters of 
Mercy, pioneers in the work, inaugurated a system 
of training devotedly maintained by their succes- 
sors, the good Sisters of Notre Dame. Fr. Fink 
founded the Aloysius Club, and in his wisdom en- 
trusted its destinies to the efficient care of a born 
organizer in the person of Fr. McDonnell. Nobody 
acquainted with the origin and history of the club 
can hesitate to think that its present robust health 
and the long line of successes marked up to its credit 
are due in large measure to the vigorous push it got 
at the start from its original and competent Director. 
Always a gentleman of the old school as well as a 
consummate religious, Fr. Fink was the soul of 
hospitality, and church dignitaries of high and low 
degree, from near and far, could always count on a 
warm welcome at "Old Gonzaga." No ceremony 
of importance in the church went without the 
distinguished presence of the Apostolic Delegate, 
Monsignor Falconio, and members of the Legation 
spent many an hour of quiet comfort in the company 
of the Scholastics attached to the teaching staff of 
the College. Fr. Fink is spending the remnant of 
his days in the quiet solitude of the Jesuit Novitiate 
at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and from this distance the 
old students of Gonzaga and the people of St. 
Aloysius' send him grateful and heartfelt greeting, 
with a promise of their best prayers and everlasting 
remembrance. 

Rev. Fr. Himmers stay at Gonzaga was destined 
to be of short duration, from April 26, 1907, to 




Rev. JosephIJ. Himmel, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 205 

August 27, 1908. His first administrative act was 
to arrange for a retreat to the men of the parish. 
It opened on May 5 and was conducted by Fr. 
William Gannon. Beginning on May 8, Fr. Mc- 
Donnell preached a short retreat to the children 
preparing for First Communion. A notable recep- 
tion was tendered to Rev. Fr. Himmel by the Aloysius 
Club on May 15. Among others, Fr. Aloysius 
Brosnan of Woodstock was present and acted as 
toastmaster. The May Procession took place on 
May 19 and was somewhat interfered with by rain. 
Archbishop Jeremiah J. Harty of Manila, in the 
Philippines, was a guest at the College on May 20. 
Commencement Exercises were held in the College 
Hall on June 17. Rev. John T. McNicholas, O. P., 
(now Bishop of Duluth, Minn.), addressed the 
graduates. On June 23 Fr. Thomas A. Becker passed 
through Washington on his way to the Philippines 
for missionary work. 

1907-1908 

The status for the year was posted as usual on 
July 31, and contained only a few changes: Rev. 
Fr. Joseph J. Himmel, Rector; Fr. Eugene DeL. 
McDonnell, Minister; Fr. David C. Daly, Treasurer; 
Fr. James A. Noonan, Chaplain; Frs. Francis T. 
McCarthy, John B. Kelleher and John B. Pittar, 
Parish-priests; Fr. John Scully, Prefect of Studies; 
Frs. Wm. D. Kean and Henry A. Leary, with Messrs. 
Richard A. O'Brien, Frank A. Byrne, and Eugene T. 
Kenedy, Teachers. 

The feast of St. Ignatius was kept with solemnity 
in the church on August 4. Fr. Robert J. Tracy, a 



206 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

former professor at Gonzaga, and recently ordained 
to the priesthood at Woodstock, sang the Mass, 
and Fr. Matthew L. Fortier, also a former member 
of the Staff, preached the sermon. The old college 
building was fast falling to decay, and Rev. Fr. 
Himmel, with an eye to the welfare of the students, 
was busy all summer putting it in order. In spite 
of strikes and innumerable other troubles he suc- 
ceeded in remodeling its entire interior and had the 
satisfaction of welcoming the boys on opening day, 
September 9, to a home more worthy of its purpose 
and more conducive to the comfort of teachers 
and pupils. The following Sunday the renovated 
building was thrown open to the parish for inspec- 
tion, and everybody expressed wide wonder at the 
transformation. Solemn High Mass of the Holy 
Ghost for the college boys and school children was 
sung by Fr. Scully on September 23. Rev. Fr. 
Himmel preached a short sermon and gave Benedic- 
tion. On October 4 Fr. Scully was summoned to 
New York by superiors to take the place of Fr. 
Henry Van Rensselaer, who died at St. Francis 
Xavier's College the day previous. A sad accident 
occurred at the College on October 10, resulting in 
the death of one of the students. Martin Hussion, 
an altar boy and a pupil at the College, fell from a 
ladder in the College Theater and suffered a fracture 
of the skull, from which he died an hour later. Fr. 
McDonnell left for Baltimore on October 27, to 
preach a retreat to the boys at Loyola College. 
Ceremonies in the church at Christmas were of the 
usual high order, and the Midnight Mass was over- 
crowded. Grippe visited the College during Christ- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 207 

mas week and prostrated Frs. McDonnell and Kean, 
with Brothers Beckmann and O'Connell. Fr. Wil- 
liam Kean took his last Vows on February 2, 1908. 
A most successful Mission for men and women was 
conducted in the church between February 16 and 
March 2. Frs. William Stanton, Francis de S. Howie 
and William Coyle were the preachers. 

Bishop Hendrick, of Cebu in the Philippines, was 
a guest at the College on March 2, and on April 5 
he assisted His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons in the 
administration of Confirmation to 621 persons, of 
whom 60 were converts to the Faith. That same 
evening a complimentary dinner was tendered by 
the college to Bishop Hendrick, and he had for 
honored guests Monsignor O'Connell, Rector of the 
Catholic University, Mr. Shuster, Commissioner of 
the Philippine Islands, Major Mclntyre, of the 
United States Army, Hon. Bourke Cockran and 
Congressmen Driscoll and Goulden, both of New 
York. During Holy Week Fr. Charles B. Macksey 
preached on Holy Thursday, and on Good Friday 
Fr. Patrick J. Casey preached the "Three Hours." 
Fr. Himmel was preacher on Easter Sunday. Fr. 
John Corbett of Woodstock opened a retreat for 
First Communion children on May 13. The College 
Debate was held on June 9. On June 18, the Papal 
Delegate, Monsignor Falconio, presided at Com- 
mencement Exercises in the College Hall. 

1908-1909 

Under date of July 31 the status for the ensuing 
year read as follows: Rev. Fr. Joseph J. Himmel, 
Rector; Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Minister; 



208 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Fr. James A. Noonan, Chaplain; Fr. David C. Daly, 
Treasurer; Frs. Clement S. Lancaster, Francis X. 
Renaud, William F. Gannon, Henry A. Leary, and 
John B. Pitter, Parish -priests ; Fr. Joseph P. O'Reilly, 
Prefect of Studies; Frs. William D. Kean and David 
J. Roche, with Messrs. Frank A. Byrne and John A. 
Morning, Teachers. 

Fr. David C. Daly, Treasurer of the College, died 
at Georgetown Hospital on August 11, and was 
buried on August 14. He had been an invalid for 
years and had spent some months in the hospital 
before the end came. He was a patient sufferer 
and met death with all the courage of a soldier and 
the resignation of a saint. Many priests of the city 
attended his funeral. Burial followed in the cemetery 
at Georgetown. 

Less than a month after the publication of the 
status, Rev. Fr. Himmel was called from Gonzaga 
on August 27 to assume the duties of Rector at 
Georgetown University. Fr. McDonnell was ap- 
pointed Vice-Rector at Gonzaga, pending the desig- 
nation of a permanent Rector, and Fr. Noonan 
became Minister. Fr. McDonnell's term as Vice- 
Rector lasted till December 27, when Fr. Charles W. 
Lyons was declared Rector. College classes opened 
on September 14, with 81 boys in attendance. 
Father Gannon preached the Students' Retreat, 
beginning on October 19. On November 2, Fr. 
Augustus J. Duarte came from Buffalo to replace 
Fr. Leary, incapacitated by illness for teaching. 
Fr. Leary was assigned to Blackwell's Island, New 
York, to assist Fr. Michael Noel, the Chaplain. 
On the Third Sunday of December, 1908, elaborate 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 209 

exercises were held in the Church by Fr. McDonnell's 
Third Sunday Brigade. Fifteen hundred men 
received Holy Communion and prayed for the 
intentions of Our Holy Father Pope Pius X. Beads 
blessed by the Pope were distributed to the men 
and the Papal Blessing was given. A photograph 
of the group was taken, for the purpose of sending 
copies to His Holiness and to Very Rev. Fr. Wernz, 
General of the Society of Jesus. With the photo- 
graph a letter was despatched to the Sovereign 
Pontiff, descriptive of the organization, its influence 
in the parish, and its pledge of loyalty to Church and 
Pope. A gift of $500 accompanied the letter and 
photograph. Under date of March 2, 1909, Cardinal 
Merry del Val, Papal Secretary of State, wrote Fr. 
McDonnell to express the Pope's satisfaction, enclos- 
ing the Pope's blessing written in his own hand. 
On Christmas Day, Solemn High Mass was sung in 
the presence of the Apostolic Delegate and Fr. 
Aloysius Brosnan of Woodstock College preached. 



CHAPTER XX 

Rev. Charles W. Lyons, S. J. (1908-1909) 

Fr. McDonnell's short term as Vice-Rector came 
to a close on December 27, when Rev. Fr. Charles 
W. Lyons was appointed twentieth Rector of Gon- 
zaga. Fr. McDonnell resumed his old office of 
Minister, and Fr. Noonan became again Chaplain 
to the College. On January 4, 1909, a Solemn 
High Mass of Requiem was sung in the church for 
the victims of the recent earthquake that devastated 
portions of Italy. Monsignor Falconio presided at 
the services, and Monsignor Ceretti sang the Mass. 
Bishop O'Connell, Rector of the Catholic University, 
was in the sanctuary with Fr. Himmel, Rector of 
Georgetown, six Dominicans, ten Franciscans, and 
Frs. Elliott and Doyle from the Paulists' Mission 
House at Brookland. Secretary Bonaparte, of the 
President's Cabinet, and the Italian Ambassador 
and his suite were present in the church. Fr. F. X. 
Renaud left for Canada on February 1, at the call 
of the Provincial. On February 10 the Aloysius 
Club tendered a Grand Banquet to the new Rector, 
Rev. Fr. Lyons, and many notables were present, 
among others Hon. Bourke Cockran. The retreat 
preached to the men of the parish by Rev. Fr. Lyons 
between March 28 and April 4, proved a grand 
success. The men of the Third Sunday Brigade 
turned out in full force, and the whole affair served 
as a most captivating introduction of the new 
Rector to his people. During Holy Week the services 
were conducted with the usual solemnity and 
splendor. On Good Friday Fr. Owen A. Hill, of 

210 




Rev. Charles W. Lyons, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 213 

Holy Cross College, Worcester, preached the "Three 
Hours." The Prize Drill, held on April 28, was 
another notable event of the scholastic year. The 
Aloysius Club on April 29 went to Indian Head, 
Maryland, to give a performance for Fr. Tynan's 
church. On May 3 the Club staged a Minstrel 
Show in the College Hall for the benefit of Fr. 
Wheeler's Church of the Holy Comforter, at 14th 
and East Capitol Streets. May 12 witnessed a 
brilliant presentation of Shakespeare's "Comedy of 
Errors" by the College Dramatic Society. 

The Provincial, Rev. Fr. Hanselman, came from 
Baltimore, on May 16, to be present at the Third 
Sunday Mass. He said the Mass, and preached, and 
witnessed the impressive and edifying sight of 1,100 
men of the Third Sunday Brigade at Holy Com- 
munion. On May 23, 2,000 children of the parish 
marched in procession to honor the Mother of God, 
and were addressed by Fr. John Keating of Loyola 
College, Baltimore. May 26 was Elocution Night 
at the College, and a large audience greeted the 
contestants for dramatic honors. Fr. Cornelius 
Shyne of the Missouri Province of the Society of 
Jesus was at the College on June 7. Next day he 
read a paper on "Mission Work" at the Catholic 
University. A newly ordained Dominican and 
former student at Gonzaga, Fr. Vincent G. Cleary, 
O. P., said his first Mass in the church on June 27. 
Commencement Exercises were held in the hall on 
June 15, and Rev. Fr. Lyons, in his capacity of 
Rector, made a happy speech laudatory of the year's 
work and brimful of enthusiasm and encouragement 
for the future of the College. On June 18 Rev. Fr. 



214 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Lyons distributed medals and prizes to deserving 
members of the St. John's Berchman's Sanctuary 
Society. The exercises were held in the church, in 
the presence of a large congregation. This organiza- 
tion, under the management of Mr. Frank A. Byrne, 
S. J., was made up of acolytes and choristers, who 
served A I ass throughout the year and furnished 
music for Sundays and solemn festivals. The fame 
of the society reached Rome, and Our Holy Father 
Pius X was so pleased with the piety and zeal of its 
members that he wrote them a letter in token of 
his esteem. 



CHAPTER XXI 
Rev. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, S. J. (1909-1915) 

THE appointment of Rev. Fr. Eugene DeL. 
McDonnell as twenty-first Rector of Gonzaga, 
on July 8, 1909, blazed the way to a new era, 
and we should not hestiate to call it the "Era of Big 
Things" in the history of St. Aloysius' Church and 
Gonzaga College, culminating in a publicity as wide 
as the United States, and wider. Fr. Charles W. 
Lyons, the retiring Rector, took his departure the 
following morning for Philadelphia, where he was 
proclaimed head of St. Joseph's College. The 
change was a tribute to the man's splendid ability, 
so abundantly displayed during his brief acquaint- 
ance of but a few months with the people of Washing- 
ton. Rev. Fr. McDonnell was no stranger to the 
students at the College or the people of the parish. 
From the day of his appointment as Minister, 
August 18, 1904, to the day of his appointment as 
Rector, he had lived and labored for their best 
interests. He knew them, they knew him, and 
there was a thorough and appreciative understanding 
on both sides. The young men of the parish owe 
him a debt of gratitude for the Aloysius Club, whose 
present flourishing condition is due in great measure 
to the early years of his incumbency as Moderator. 
Three other grand achievements had their origin 
in his inventive and energetic mind; and, naturally 
enough, whatever glory attaches to them redounds 
to the honor and credit of their author and finisher. 
They are the distinguished honor done the men of 
the Third Sunday Brigade by Our Holy Father the 

215 



2 1 6 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Pope in 1908; the altogether successful celebration 
of the Golden Jubilee of the Church in 1909; and the 
erection of the New Gonzaga College on I Street, 
in 1911. Nor was publicity the single or chief 
good purposed and accomplished by this triple and 
towering display of initiative and executive ability. 
Zeal for souls and the glory of God prompted every 
step taken by this magnanimous leader in all three 
movements. The men of the Third Sunday Brigade 
took new heart from the encouragement lavished on 
them by the common Father of all the faithful, 
and the tablets commemorative of the event from 
their position of dignity at the church entrance 
shall forever tell their praises to their children and 
their children's children. The Jubilee celebration 
witnessed an unparalleled awakening of fervor 
and piety in the parish, along with honest pride in 
the graceful acknowledgment made the Church of 
our fathers by the Chief Executive of the Republic. 
The new college is already a decade of years in 
service, and the heroes of Catholic education it has 
already sent forth will be more than eclipsed by the 
yet unborn generations destined to follow them into 
the world from its portals. 

1909-1910 
The status this year included the following: Rev. 
Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Rector; Fr. James 
Noonan, Minister; Fr. Joseph P. O'Reilly, Prefect 
of Studies; Frs. Augustus Duarte, Clement Lancaster, 
William Gannon, and John B. Pittar, Parish-priests; 
Frs. Raphael V. O'Connell, William D. Kean, David 
J. Roche, with Messrs. John A. Morning and John 
J. Monahan, Teachers. 




Rev. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 2 1 9 

The feast of St. Ignatius was solemnized in the 
church on August 1, and Fr. Owen A. Hill, of Holy 
Cross College, Worcester, preached, while Fr. Aloy- 
sius J. Guiney sang the Mass. College classes were 
resumed on September 14, with 113 students present. 
By September 24 the number of boys at the college 
had grown to 124. On the same date Fr. Duarte 
assumed charge of the Aloysius Club and gave new 
impetus to the work. As earnest of its good will, it 
voted a hundred dollars to help defray the expense 
of painting the church. Under its auspices the 
following lectures and entertainments were given 
during the year: January 30, 1910, "Forestry," by 
Don Carlos Ellis; February 27, "Church of the Cata- 
combs," by Fr. Tynan; March 6, "Picture-Books," 
by Fr. John Brosnan of Woodstock; June 1, "What's 
Next?" comedy by the Club; June 29, repetition of 
same for benefit of St. Vincent de Paul Society; 
June 8 and 9, Minstrels, under J. Trodden, Jr. 

About this time it was definitely settled to keep 
with becoming ceremony the Golden Jubilee of the 
church some time in November; and to put the ven- 
erable structure more in harmony with the con- 
templated festivities, it was determined to paint its 
whole exterior. At the suggestion of Rev. Fr. 
McDonnell, a committee, composed of gentlemen 
from the Third Sunday Brigade, generously volun- 
teered to secure the amount of money needed to 
meet the expense. Fr. Cornelius Gillespie, one time 
Rector at Gonzaga, was made Minister on October 1, 
and the appointment was seasonable, He was 
emphatically a man of affairs, had a wide experience 
in the matter of jubilees, and contributed much to 
the success of the memorable event soon to follow. 



220 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

St. Aloysius' Church was dedicated on October 16, 
1859, by Fr. Burchard Villiger, Provincial of the 
Maryland Province, during the administration of 
Rev. Fr. Charles Stonestreet. The celebrated Arch- 
bishop Hughes of New York preached, and President' 
Buchanan attended the exercises. Fr. James Ryder, 
S. J., known for his eloquence as the "Pride of the 
Maryland Province," preached the evening sermon. 
Early in October, 1909, steps were taken to commem- 
orate fittingly the event, and Rev. Fr. McDonnell 
decided to devote three entire days to the celebra- 
tion. The days selected were November 13, No- 
vember 14, and November 15. A complete account 
of this historically important event can be found 
in the pages of the Church Bulletin issued in De- 
cember, 1909, and the local newspapers of the same 
date are copiously descriptive of every minute 
detail. We must be content with the briefest 
possible sketch of the proceedings. Saturday, No- 
vember 13, was Children's Day. All the boys and 
girls of the parish received Holy Communion at the 
7 o'clock Mass. They likewise attended and sang 
at the Solemn High Mass, celebrated by Fr. Edward 
X. Fink, and listened to a most timely and edifying 
sermon preached by Fr. Timothy Barrett, S. J. 
Sunday, November 14, was set apart for the men and 
women of the parish, and all the splendor of the 
occasion centered around this second day of the 
exercises. It is safe to say that the vast majority 
of the parishioners received Our Lord in Holy 
Communion at the early Masses. His Eminence 
Cardinal Gibbons said Mass at 7 o'clock in the 
Upper Church for Fr. McDonnell's Third Sunday 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 221 

Brigade, and he was visibly affected at the sight of 
2,000 men approaching the altar rail in sentiments 
of profound and childlike devotion. The sermon 
he preached them was a veritable outpouring of his 
fatherly heart, and we cannot refrain from inserting 
these few of its sentences : 

I thank God He has brought me here today to so glorious 
and so beautiful a spectacle, to contemplate so many men, 
strong, stalwart men, assembled together in the name of 
God, and under the invocation of Heaven, to partake this 
morning together of the Blessed Sacrament. I hope you will 
always cooperate with your beloved clergy in conducting and 
promoting every measure for the welfare of our holy religion. 
Thanks be to God, here we have the fullest opportunity of 
exercising our religious persuasions. There is no military 
satrap here to interfere with us; there is no opposition to us 
in the exercise of our religion from day to day. Here we have 
liberty without license, and we have authority without 
despotism. 

At 11 o'clock Solemn Pontifical High Mass of 
Thanksgiving was sung by Right Rev. Augustine 
Van de Vyver, Bishop of Richmond, and St. Alo- 
ysius' Church never before or since presented such a 
scene of bewildering beauty and magnificence. The 
lights on the altar, the gorgeously decorated interior, 
the inspiring music of the Gregorian chant, the 
rich vestments of the Cardinal and officiating priests, 
all conspired to lift the hearts of the worshipers to 
Heaven and carry them back in memory to the 
dedication of Solomon's temple on Mount Moriah. 
The procession from the rectory to the church, with 
its hundred altar boys in white robes, and its sixty 
singing men in surplices, was a ravishing sight, a 
spectacle fit for the inhabitants of another and a 



222 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

better world. His Eminence the Cardinal presided 
at the Mass, and Very Rev. L. F. Kearney, O. P., 
Provincial of the Dominicans and their foremost 
orator in America, delivered an eloquent oration on 
the teaching authority of the Church. We quote 
these few passages of his superb effort : 

The Catholic Church presents itself as an ever living, articu- 
late individual, which at no period of its existence has lost any 
of its faculties, but is able every day to reaffirm with a living 
voice every doctrine which it has ever authoritatively enun- 
ciated in the past, to reaffirm it in virtue of the same super- 
natural knowledge. The sole consistent and unchanging 
asserter of duty, and therefore the sole inflexible, unyielding 
champion of right, which human society has known, is the 
spiritual empire in which Jesus Christ reigns and rules. The 
Church respects the authority of temporal rulers, for she 
preaches the doctrine that all power is from God. She incul- 
cates obedience to the laws of the land, but only when these 
laws arc not in conflict with divine truth and eternal justice. 
And therefore as the champion of God's law and of the rights 
and duties of God's children, she confronts and condemns the 
potentate on the throne of empire who lends a hand to the 
desecration of the matrimonial tie, with the same fearlessness 
with which she censures and reprobates the private socialist 
or the anarchist who aims at the subversion of all law and 
order. 

At four in the afternoon the civic demonstration 
took place, and it was of the same colossal propor- 
tions as the religious ceremony in the morning. 
Indeed the celebration, taken as a whole, was an 
extraordinary commingling of religious fervor, civic 
grandeur and patriotic pride. At the invitation of 
Rev. Fr. McDonnell, His Excellency Mr. Taft, 
President of the United States, had promised to 
grace the occasion with his presence, meet the clergy 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 225 

and people, and address them a few words. It was 
a few minutes of four when the White House auto 
swept down I Street. The President and Captain 
Archibald Butt, his military aide, alighted, made 
hurried entrance through the rectory, greeted the 
Church dignitaries and prelates gathered inside, 
and with Rev. Fr. McDonnell for escort, passed 
through the church to the front portico, where, with 
the Cardinal on his right and the Apostolic Delegate 
on his left, he made ready to review the mammoth 
civic parade planned for the occasion. In a few 
well chosen words Rev. Fr. McDonnell introduced 
Mr. Taft to the assembled multitude, prefacing his 
remarks with a reference to the attendance of 
President Buchanan at the dedication services in 
1859, and concluding them with these ringing words: 

Mr. President, should the day ever come when anarchy and 
irreligion shall despise your high station, and rise in rebellion 
against the Constitution and the laws of our country, then in 
that day shall the Catholic manhocd of this nation rise up, 
irrespective of political allegiance, and stand at your back, 
ready to defend you and your successors, yes, and if need be, 
die in upholding the dignity of your high office and the in- 
tegrity of our Constitution., 

Mr. Taft made answer in a speech, brief indeed, 
but wonderfully to the point ; and for the instruction 
of future ages, we transcribe it entire: 

Fr. McDonnell, Cardinal Gibbons, Monsignor Falconio, my 
fellow-citizens, I am glad to be present on this occasion, the 
Golden Jubilee of the foundation of this church. In our coun- 
try, in this government, and under our Constitution, there is 
no union of Church and state; but rather a declared separation 
of them. This has been sometimes misunderstood by those 
who did not know our institutions as an indication that there 



226 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

was something hostile on the part of our government toward, 
or some lack of sympathy with, the Church of God. This is as 
far as possible from the truth; and I have always sought in 
assisting every such church, on interesting occasions like this, 
to teach by my presence and by words of congratulation that 
there is nothing which the people and the country of the United 
States so depend upon for progress and advancement of their 
ideals as the influence and power of all the churches in the 
community. They tend to exalt the nation. I am here today, 
therefore, to congratulate Fr. McDonnell and his congrega- 
tion and the distinguished dignitaries of the Catholic Church 
on the growth in this community of this Church of St. Aloysius, 
and on the good that it has done; and to testify as a representa- 
tive of the Government to the sympathy we have with this 
instrument and all others that make for righteousness. 

Then came the pageant. Eight abreast and 
4,000 strong, the men of St. Aloysius passed in 
review before President Taft amid the huzzas of the 
enthusiastic parishioners, and of what looked like 
half the inhabitants of the District. The front of 
the church lent a beautiful background to the im- 
pressive scene. Its wide extent of Pompeian pink 
and gray was unadorned save by three flags, two of 
them American banners, and between them the 
Papal standard of white and golden yellow. 

Immediately after the civic procession, and fol- 
lowing the departure of the President, the multitude 
made its way to the Union Station, preparatory to 
paying its respects to our venerable Cardinal on his 
way home to Baltimore. He arrived a few min- 
utes later, escorted by Rev. Fr. McDonnell and the 
men of the Third Sunday Brigade. The ovation 
tendered the day's honored guest rivaled in noise 
and acclamation the rousing tribute of welcome paid 
our illustrious President a few moments before in 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 22 7 

front of the church steps. The air was rent with 
the strains of "My Country, "Tis of Thee," issuing 
from ten thousand patriotic bosoms. The League 
Hymn, "Thy Kingdom Come," was rendered with 
grand effect, and the very ground rocked as the 
majestic tones of "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" 
pealed forth from the multitude, transformed by 
the fervor of zeal into an army of singing soldiers on 
their way to battle. In the evening the Papal 
Delegate, Monsignor Falconio, celebrated Pontifical 
Vespers, and Fr. Aloysius Brosnan preached a mag- 
nificent sermon portraying the true nature and 
meaning of a Jubilee. The celebration of the Golden 
Jubilee came to a close Monday morning at 10 
o' clock, when the Right Rev. Owen B. Corrigan, aux- 
iliary Bishop of Baltimore, celebrated High Requiem 
Mass for the deceased pastors and people of the 
parish. Monsignor Mackin, the beloved pastor of 
St. Paul's Church, preached the sermon, and paid a 
touching tribute to the memory of the illustrious 
dead. 

A Jubilee Fair was opened the closing day of the 
Jubilee Exercises, November 15, and continued till 
December 4. It proved most successful, as well 
socially as financially. Monsignor Falconio pre- 
sided at the Solemn High Mass on Christmas Day. 
On January 13 Solemn Pontifical Requiem Mass was 
sung by Monsignor Falconio for the repose of the 
soul of Cardinal Satolli, who died at Rome early in 
the month. His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons pre- 
sided, and Very Rev. Monsignor Shahan of the 
Catholic University preached. Early in February 
Fr. Cornelius Gillespie left for Georgetown, quite 



228 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

ill. From Georgetown he went to Woodstock, and 
from Woodstock to Baltimore, where on February 
28, 1912, he died piously in the Lord. He was one 
of Gonzaga's most energetic Rectors, and Gonzaga 
Hall is a tribute to his untiring activity. His term 
as Rector covered nearly eight years, between 
November 18, 1890, and July 2, 1898, and he had 
the honor of closing the third quarter of Gonzaga's 
first centenary. Fr. Noonan discharged the duties 
of Minister during the interval between Fr. Gillespie's 
departure and the appointment of Fr. Duarte on 
April 14. 

On March 1 the Annual Debate was honored by 
the presence of three Members of Congress, Hamill of 
New Jersey, Korbly of Indiana, and O'Connell of 
Massachusetts, who acted in the capacity of judges. 
Fr. Walter Dwight took Fr. Kean's class on March 
9, poor health having obliged Fr. Kean to relinquish 
his post. Fr. Michael O'Kane of the Missionary 
Band opened a most successful retreat for the men of 
the parish in March, and closed it on Palm Sunday, 
March 20. On Good Friday, March 25, Fr. Joseph 
Woods preached at the "Three Hours'" services. 
Fr. Mark J. McNeal preached the Easter Sunday 
sermon. Fr. Orville D. V. Brady was attached to 
the Gonzaga Staff on April 19. In the presence of 
the Sisters and the school children, Rev. Fr. Mc- 
Donnell said Requiem Mass on April 26 for the repose 
of the soul of Mother Mary Agnes, late Provincial 
of the Notre Dame Sisters. On April 27, at a 
meeting of the city pastors, called by His Eminence 
the Cardinal at St. Patrick's, it was judged inoppor- 
tune to open in Washington a select school under 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 229 

diocesan management. The Annual Elocution Con- 
test, held on May 11, was considered by many the 
most successful and creditable in years. "Guy 
Mannering" was the play presented by the college 
students this year. It was acted on May 25, and 
the players covered themselves with glory. Com- 
mencement Exercises were held in the hall on June 
15, and the graduates were addressed by the Hon. 
Mr. Graham, Member of Congress from Illinois. 
They were preceded by an informal banquet tendered 
the Alumni and Old Boys by Rev. Fr. McDonnell. 
At the meeting that followed committees were 
appointed to draw up a Constitution for the Alumni 
Association and to devise ways and means of financing 
the New Gonzaga College, another vast project 
conceived by Rev. Fr. McDonnell and destined to 
become an accomplished reality two years later. 
The need of a new building for college purposes was 
forcibly presented by Rev. Fr. McDonnell, the 
Hon. Mr. Graham of Illinois followed with a strong 
speech, and the undertaking was launched with a 
spirit of enthusiasm that augured success. 

1910-1911 

The Officers and Faculty of Gonzaga were posted 
July 28, and the list included the following: Rev. 
Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Rector; Fr. William 
J. Brooks, Minister; Fr. James A. Noonan, Chaplain; 
Fr., John C. Geale, Prefect of Studies; Frs. Clement 
S. Lancaster, David H. Buel, William F. Gannon, 
and John B. Pittar, Parish-priests; Frs. Augustus 
J. Duarte, Raphael V. O'Connell, and David J. 
Roche, with Messrs. John A. Morning, Allen F. 
Duggin, and John J. McCloskey, Teachers. 



230 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

On August 1 Fr. Aloysius J. Guiney visited 
Gonzaga on his way to Jamaica, West Indies, for 
missionary work. On September 4, Mr. Aloysius 
Mack, S. J., came from Poughkeepsie, to assist at 
the funeral of his father. College classes opened 
on September 13, with 120 pupils in attendance, the 
largest number in years. Cardinal Vannutelli, the 
Pope's representative at the Eucharistic Congress 
in Montreal, passed through Washington on Sep- 
tember 29. On his arrival at Union Station he was 
greeted by 10,000 people, of whom 1,200 were boys 
and girls from St. Aloysius' parochial schools. The 
children, headed by a band, marched to the station 
entrance and sang sacred hymns in the Cardinal's 
honor. The illustrious visitor was visibly affected 
at the sight, and expressed himself as agreeably 
surprised at the impromptu demonstration. Next 
day, on his way from the Catholic University, he 
paused long enough to hold an informal reception in 
the church and impart the Papal Blessing to the 
assembled men, women, and children of the parish. 

On October 17, Mr. M. Joseph Ryan read a very 
instructive paper on "Socialism" to the Aloysius 
Club, and about the same time the Club's Press 
Committee forced the Post, a morning newspaper, 
to print its answer to certain false statements, 
derogatory to the Church, made at a Secular League 
Meeting held in honor of the notorious Spaniard, 
Ferrer. Fr. Brooks closed a retreat for the college 
students on October 27. On November 16 Rev. Fr. 
McDonnell called an informal meeting of the Alumni, 
and was agreeably surprised to meet 300. The 
Aloysius Club kept its fifth anniversary on November 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 231 

18, and Rev. Fr. McDonnell took advantage of the 
occasion to commend the good work of its Moderator, 
Fr. Duarte. After a novena of preparatory sermons, 
Fr. Aloysius Brosnan preached to the sodalities at 
their reception and reunion on December 8. De- 
cember 21 was Play Night for the college students, 
and their splendid rendition of "The Fool's Bauble" 
(a superb play written by Rev. John D. McCarthy, 
S. J.), stirred wide praise. The wonted splendor and 
devotion surrounded Christmas services in the church, 
Monsignor Falconio presiding at the Midnight Mass. 
The Aloysius Club, with the beginning of 1911, added 
a new feature to its other activities, and ordered its 
Press Committee to assume the title and function 
of the " Catholic Truth Society of Washington." 
On February 7 the Club staged for its patrons 
a play entitled "Our Boys." A most successful 
Mission was brought to an auspicious close on 
February 19, when His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons 
confirmed a class of 577, one of the largest in the 
history of the parish. That same morning he met 
the men of the Third Sunday Brigade at their 
Communion- Mass and in glowing terms commended 
them for their sturdy piety and devoted loyalty to 
the practice of frequent Communion. During the 
Novena of Grace, which ended on March 12, 6,115 
communions were given. Word of Fr. Francis X. 
Brady's sudden death in Baltimore reached the 
College on March 13. Mrs. Guiney, mother to 
Fr. Aloysius J. Guiney, absent on missionary 
"work in Jamaica, West Indies, died on March 15 and 
was buried on March 18. On Holy Thursday, 
April 13, Fr. John J. Neary preached. Fr. Albert 



232 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Brown preached the "Three Hours" on Good Friday, 
April 14, and on Easter Sunday, April 16, Fr. John 
Howlin Farley of Fordham University, New York, 
preached at the High Mass. On May 9 the Aloysius 
Club conducted a Minstrel Show and Dance. The 
Club was unusually active in athletics this season, 
maintaining a superior baseball team in the District 
League and conducting a most successful Outdoor 
Meet at Gonzaga Park on May 30. Fr. Brooks 
preached at the May Procession on May 2 1 , and with 
men of the Third Sunday Brigade for guard of 
honor the affair proved one of the most successful 
events of the year. The Alumni Banquet was held 
at the New Fredonia Hotel on May 23. 

On May 28 an unusual scene was enacted in the 
White Lot grounds near the Washington Monu- 
ment. An open air Military Mass, for the repose of 
the souls of our dead soldiers and sailors, was cele- 
brated by Right Rev. William T. Russell, pastor of 
St. Patrick's Church (now Bishop of Charleston, 
S. C), in the presence of His Excellency Mr. Taft, 
President of the United States. Thirty thousand 
people attended the services, which were preceded 
by a monster civic and military parade along Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue from the Peace Monument to the White 
Lot grounds. Our Third Sunday Brigade, 2,500 
strong, was there, our school children were the most 
numerous and the most conspicuous in the line, and 
Rev. Fr. McDonnell was the orator of the day. 
In a speech, instinct with faith and patriotism, he 
praised the heroes who laid down their lives for their 
country, and made plain to his hearers that the 
Catholic Church yields to no organization in the 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 233 

country in point of patriotism and loyalty to duly 
constituted authority. 

Ground was broken for the New Gonzaga College 
on June 13. The ceremony was conducted in private 
and concluded with a beautiful prayer for God's 
blessing on the work. Rev. Fr. McDonnell officiated 
at the ceremony in the presence of the community, 
the college students, the children of the parochial 
schools, and a large gathering of the parishioners. 
The plans for the building call for a commodious 
structure of magnificent proportions and quiet 
architectural beauty. It will front 200 feet on I 
Street, occupying all the space between the old 
college building and the rectory. Gonzaga Hall 
will be incorporated in the new building, and to 
secure unity of design its front will be remodeled. 
The body of the new building is to be of reinforced 
concrete, steel-girdered throughout. The front will 
be of sandstone and white brick; the entrance, lobby, 
corridors, staircases, and toilets to be finished in 
marble. The structure will be three stories high, 
with a basement. Each floor will have a main 
pavilion and rear wing. The basement and its 
wing will contain a large gymnasium with lockers, 
toilets, and cloak rooms. The first floor will contain 
offices, parlors, and four class rooms, while its wing 
will be devoted to the Students' Chapel. Ten more 
spacious class rooms occupy the second and third 
floors, four of them being lecture rooms and labora- 
tories for physics and chemistry. The upper stories 
of the rear wing will be used as a library. The New 
Gonzaga will be a sanitary, fireproof building, sub- 
stantial in structure, ornate in design, and complete 



234 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

in equipment. Looking ahead, its corner stone will 
be laid by Rev. Fr. McDonnell on December 21, 
1911, and blessed by His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons 
on May 7, 1913. The three movable altars in its 
Chapel of Our Lady will be consecrated by the 
Apostolic Delegate, Monsignor Bonzano, on April 
24, 1913. It will be first opened for classes on Sep- 
tember 12, 1912. The Elocution Contest, the Debate, 
and Commencement Exercises were held on June 13, 
June 14, and June 15, respectively. Father Gannon 
gave a masterful address to the graduates. 

1911-1912 

Officers and Faculty for the coming year were 
posted on July 27, and the list included the follow- 
ing: Rev. Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Rector; Fr. 
William J. Brooks, Minister; Fr. James A. Noonan, 
Chaplain; Fr. John C. Geale, Prefect of Studies; 
Frs. Clement S. Lancaster, David H. Buel, William 
F. Gannon, John B. Pittar, and John J. Greene, 
Parish-priests; Frs. Raphael V. O'Connell and John 
M. Coughlan, with Messrs. John A. Morning, 
Eugene B. Cummings, and John J. McCloskey, 
Teachers. 

On August 6 services were held in the church in 
honor of St. Ignatius, and Fr. John A. Cotter 
preached the panegyric. Death visited the College 
this month and removed a familiar figure in the 
person of Brother Thomas Kennedy, for twenty- 
five years the college porter. His pleasant ways, 
his patient performance of duty, and his piety en- 
deared him to everybody. He died at Georgetown 
Hospital on August 18 and was buried in the college 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 235 

cemetery. College classes opened on September 12, 
with 97 students. On September 14 the Aloysius 
Club tendered a reception to its new Moderator, Fr. 
John M. Coughlan. October 10 deserves mention, 
because on this day the first brick in the new college 
was laid. 

Baltimore made October 16 a holiday, to honor its 
illustrious son, Cardinal Gibbons, and Catholic 
Washington went over to assist. His Eminence 
kept on this day the fiftieth anniversary of his 
ordination to the priesthood and the twenty-fifth 
anniversary of his elevation to the cardinalate. 
More than 30,000 men marched in the parade, to 
pass in review before the Cardinal, and 100,000 
spectators lined the streets through which the pro- 
cession moved. The Third Sunday Brigade, 800 
strong, with Rev. Fr. McDonnell at its head, was 
foremost among the marchers, and in point of num- 
bers surpassed the other parochial delegations from 
Washington. 

The retreat for the college students closed on Oc- 
tober 25 and was preached by Fr. Coughlan. The 
Apostolic delegate, Monsignor Falconio, who had 
lavished so many favors on the Fathers during his 
long stay in Washington, left for New York on 
November 12, on his way to Rome, to be created a 
cardinal and take up other labors. A large delega- 
tion of prominent Catholics assembled at Union 
Station to wish him God speed. 

The Catholic Truth Society of Washington, an 
outgrowth of the Aloysius Club, due to the initia- 
tive of Fr. Duarte, its efficient Moderator in 1910, 
and to the facile as well as trenchant pens of Messrs. 



236 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Francis de Sales Ryan and Mr. M. Joseph Ryan, 
attracted wide attention during the fall by its 
vigorous and effective campaign against newspaper 
articles and reports designed to harm the Catholic 
Church and its membership. The motto of the 
society was "No printed lie without a printed correc- 
tion," and its members pledged themselves "to use 
every available means to refute such published 
articles as attack the true Faith or are subversive 
of Christian morality." Touching the work of the 
Society, Fr. Duarte had preached a ringing sermon 
in St. Aloysius' Church on June 11, and was the 
recipient of many messages of encouragement from 
members of the clergy and laity prominent in politi- 
cal, literary, and social life. Wherever a lie appeared 
the Society was ready with an answer, and it insisted 
always on equal space and publicity for its refutation. 
It completely crushed a certain Rev. Thomas 
O' Toole, who came back from South America with a 
stock of fanciful charges against the Catholics of 
that country. It reduced to silence a meeting of 
free thinkers assembled in Washington to laud 
Ferrer, an acknowledged rebel and traitor, at the 
expense of Catholics in Spain. It nailed a monstrous 
lie set afoot in Washington, regarding violation of 
the secrecy of the confessional, that had been sug- 
gested to the inventive minds of our Church's 
enemies by a suit one Verdesi in Italy instituted 
against Fr. Bricarelli, S. J. It covered with shame 
a body of seemingly respectable ministers who, con- 
vened in quality of Episcopal Conference, ventured 
certain incriminating statements derogatory to the 
dignity of the Catholic Church and its members. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 237 

Later the Society turned its attention to the removal 
of indecent billboards from our streets and the sup- 
pression of immoral plays in our theatres, and its 
efforts met with gratifying success. It secured 
stringent police regulations in the District regarding 
billboards and posters, and drove the so-called Irish 
players from the city, describing in a widely dis- 
tributed circular "The Birthright" and "The Play- 
boy of the West" by J. M. Synge, as malignant 
travesties of Irish life and religion and scurrilous 
misrepresentations . 

On December 2 1 Rev. Fr. McDonnell at a private 
ceremony laid the corner stone of the New Gonzaga 
College, with intent that solemn dedication services 
be held in better weather. Right Rev. Owen B. 
Corrigan, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, conse- 
crated the side-altars in the Upper Church on Febru- 
ary 6, 1912. The death of Fr. Cornelius Gillespie 
at St. Agnes' Hospital, Baltimore, was announced 
on February 28, and on March 28 a Month's Mind 
Requiem Mass was said in the church for the repose 
of his soul. On Good Friday, April 5, Fr. William 
Ennis, Rector of Loyola College, Baltimore, preached 
the "Three Hours." The Annual Prize Debate on 
May 1 was a spirited discussion of the "Initiative, 
the Referendum, and the Recall of Judges, in their 
Bearing on Democratic Government." May 19 was 
the day set apart for the May Procession, and, 
though the weather was not altogether propitious, 
a great multitude witnessed the inspiring spectacle. 
Fr. Coughlan preached the sermon. Genuine and 
wholehearted enthusiasm marked the Alumni Ban- 
quet at the Shoreham on May 22. 



238 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Monsignor Giovanni Bonzano, the new Papal 
Delegate, paid his first visit to Gonzaga on May 23, 
attending an informal dinner prepared in his honor. 
At the close of the meal, Rev. Fr. McDonnell in a 
few well chosen words assured the distinguished 
guest that a warm welcome always awaited him at 
Gonzaga, and the Monsignor made answer that he 
would be proud to consider Gonzaga another home 
during his stay in Washington. The Annual Prize 
Elocution Contest took place in the hall on June 7. 
On June 8, at one o'clock in the morning, fire broke 
out in the Sacristy of the church and for a time 
threatened the structure with dire ruin. Brother 
Beckman was the first to discover the blaze, and a 
fire alarm was hastily sounded. Fortunately the 
flames were speedily checked, and damage by fire 
was confined to the belfry tower. The smoke, 
however, had made its way into the church, damag- 
ing the interior to the extent of thousands of dollars. 
The mechanism of the tower clock, a familiar time- 
piece for the entire parish, was completely deranged, 
and consequent repairs at the hands of Mr. Joseph 
Johnson, S. J., of the New Orleans Province of the 
Society of Jesus, consumed three whole months. 
At the White Lot on June 9 the Third Sunday 
Brigade participated in Memorial Services, consist- 
ing of an open air Military Mass in honor of deceased 
Spanish War Veterans. Commencement Exercises 
were held on June 12, and Mr. Rossa Downing 
addressed the graduates. On June 16 the St. 
Aloysius Conference of St. Vincent de Paul kept 
with solemn ceremony its Golden Jubilee. Exer- 
cises were held in the hall, and addresses were made 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 239 

by Rev. Fr. McDonnell, Monsignor William Russell, 
Mr. William H. DeLacy, and Mr. Joseph E. Colton. 
Mr. John Fuller, father of two of our Scholastics 
and President of the Conference for twenty-five 
years, was warmly congratulated by all present. 
The Feast of St. Aloysius was solemnized in the 
church on June 23, Monsignor Bonzano presided, 
and Fr. William F. Gannon preached. 

1912-1913 

The following list of Officers and Faculty for the 
coming year was published on August 1. Rev. 
Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Rector; Fr. David J. 
Roche, Minister; Fr. James A. Noonan, Chaplain; 
Fr. John C. Geale, Prefect of Studies; Frs. Clement 
S. Lancaster, Wm. F. Gannon, Wm. J. Brooks, 
James J. O'Connor, and John B. Pittar, Parish- 
priests; Frs. Raphael V. O'Connell, Charles J. 
Mullaly, and Messrs. Eugene B. Cummings, Frederick 
G. Boehm, and John J. McCloskey, Teachers. 

The Feast of St. Ignatius was solemnized on August 
4, and on that occasion Fr. W. F. Gannon treated the 
congregation to another of his eloquent sermons. 
The New Gonzaga opened on September 19, with 73 
students. The delay in opening was due to various 
disappointments in the matter of painting and 
school furniture. The students began their annual 
retreat, under the direction of Fr. James J. O'Connor, 
on October 30. By agreement of the Pastors of the 
city, there was no Midnight Mass at Christmas in 
Washington. Services at the Solemn High Mass were 
conducted with the usual splendor. 

The year 1913 opened at Gonzaga with the cele- 
bration of Fr. Clement S. Lancaster's Golden Jubilee 



240 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

as a Jesuit. His friends vied with one another to 
do him honor on the solemn occasion. He had been 
one of the pioneer teachers at Gonzaga, and his 
former pupils had nothing but pleasant memories 
of the years spent in his company. After a long 
and glorious record of achievements in the counties 
of Maryland, poor health obliged him to relinquish 
the work he loved so well ; and he made his way back 
to Gonzaga, to spend his declining years in sur- 
roundings familiar to his early manhood, and remi- 
niscent of his splendid successes as a teacher and 
educator. 

On March 17 Fr. Duarte of Georgetown was 
obliged by stress of duty to resign headship of the 
Catholic Truth Society. Fr. Charles J. Mullaly 
of Gonzaga succeeded him, and thereafter gave his 
best attention to the work. Fr. Walter Drum, 
Professor of Scripture at Woodstock, preached the 
"Three Hours" on Good Friday, March 21. Fr. 
Edward J. Sweeney, an old Gonzaga boy, preached 
at night; and on Easter Sunday, March 23, the 
sermon was preached by Fr. Aloysius J. Guiney, 
another former pupil of Gonzaga. The Stations of 
the Cross in Our Lady's Chapel were blessed and 
put in place on March 28. The College Hall, 
newly renovated by the energy of Rev. John C. 
Geale, S. J., and Francis de Sales Kavanagh, 
was reopened with an Easter entertainment on 
March 31. On April 3, Fr. J. J. O'Connor left 
Gonzaga to take spiritual charge of City Hospital 
in Boston. Fr. John C. Hart succeeded him. Mrs. 
Catherine Becker, mother to Fr. Thomas A. Becker, 
a missionary in the Philippines, was buried with 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 241 

solemn and impressive ceremonies from the church 
on April 7. 

On April 24 the Apostolic Delegate, Monsignor 
Bonzano, consecrated the three marble altars in 
Our Lady's Chapel. This same morning 25 con- 
verts, prepared for the Sacrament by Fr. John C. 
Hart, were confirmed in the Chapel. This chapel, 
which forms part of the new Gonzaga College, ranks 
second to none in the country. Its architectural 
beauty, its magnificent altars, its artistic windows, 
conspire to make it a joy forever and a center of 
prayerful devotion and Heaven's choicest benedic- 
tions. Its main altar is a gift of a lady in the parish, 
while the men of Rev. Fr. McDonnell's Third 
Sunday Brigade donated the two side altars. The 
windows are contributions from the Notre Dame 
Alumnae Reading Circle and from the Hollohans, 
Farrells, O'Donoghues, Hollands and Bauers, promi- 
nent families in the parish and most generous bene- 
factors. Our Lady's Chapel was formally opened 
on April 26, with Mass by Rev. Fr. McDonnell in 
presence of the college students. 

May 7, 1913, was a memorable day in the annals 
of Gonzaga. It opened with a blessing of the New 
College by His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons, in the 
presence of numerous Church dignitaries and a 
multitude of interested spectators. After this impres- 
sive ceremony the procession moved to the church; 
where Pontifical High Mass was celebrated by 
Right Rev. Denis Joseph O'Connell, Bishop of 
Richmond, with Fr. Timothy Brosnahan of Loyola 
College, Baltimore, for preacher. His sermon was 
an eloquent and masterful development of the 



242 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

pregnant thesis that every structure like the New 
Gonzaga is an act of faith and a deed of patriotism. 
All that afternoon, from 2 to 7 o'clock, crowds of 
visitors poured into the new building to study for 
themselves the beauty of its interior, and emerge 
again with pleasure depicted on their countenances 
and expressions of unbounded enthusiasm and 
wonder on their lips. A camera artist secured 
pictures of the celebration, some of which have been 
framed and hung on the wall at the rectory entrance, 
for the admiration of posterity. At 7.30 Monsignor 
Bonzano closed the day's exercises with Pontifical 
Benediction in Our Lady's Chapel. At 8.30 the 
Alumni Banquet summoned together the old boys, 
and honest pride in the day's events warmed their 
bosoms and loosened their tongues in their Alma 
Mater's praises. Visiting bishops and priests, sena- 
tors and congressmen, and officials of the District 
shared their gladness with them and voiced their 
feelings in congratulatory speeches. Senator Atlee 
Pomerene of Ohio exhorted the Alumni to be men 
of stiff backbone in politics and business. Repre- 
sentative Ransdell of Louisiana talked to the same 
effect. Monsignor Bonzano, Right Rev. Charles W. 
Currier, Bishop-elect of Matanzas, Cuba, Commis- 
sioner Cuno Rudolph, former Commissioner West, 
Rev. Fr. Anthony J. Maas, Provincial, Fr. Joseph 
A. Mulry, Rector of St. Peter's College, Jersey City, 
Fr. Alphonse J. Donlon, Rector of Georgetown, and 
Mr. James S. Easby-Smith, were some of the dis- 
tinguished guests who favored the boys with flashes 
of their oratory. 

May 11 was the day set apart for the May Pro- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 243 

cession, and in spite of cold weather it attracted the 
usual multitude. Rev. Fr. McDonnell preached. 
On May 22 Mr. Arthur Moses, a prominent business 
man of the city and conspicuous for his charity, was 
baptized as a convert in Our Lady's Chapel. The 
Prize Elocution Contest was staged on June 9, and 
Commencement Exercises followed on June 17. 
Monsignor Bonzano was present and addressed the 
graduates on the need of maintaining closer relations 
with the republics of South America, a topic suggested 
by the graduates' essays on the Panama Canal and 
aspects of South America. On July 26 Right Rev. 
Bishop John J. Collins of Jamaica, West Indies, 
stopped at the college. Business with the United 
States Government touching taxes and bananas 
brought him to the capital. 

1913-1914 

Officers and Faculty for the coming year: Rev. 
Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Rector; Fr. David J. 
Roche, Minister; Fr. James A. Noonan, Chaplain; 
Fr. John C. Geale, Prefect of Studies; Frs. William 
J. Brooks, Clement S. Lancaster, Francis J. Lenahan, 
James I. Maguire, John H. Mulligan, John B. Pittar, 
Parish-priests; Fr. Raphael V. O'Connell and Messrs. 
Frederick G. Boehm, John A. Dixon, Denis L. 
McCarthy, Edward M. Morning, and Martin A. 
Schmitt, Teachers. 

The College opened on September 10, with 86 
students. Fr. Charles B. Macksey, S. J., late from 
Rome, said Communion Mass for the Third Sunday 
Brigade on September 21, and preached the men an 
encouraging sermon, promising to sound their praises 



24 4 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

everywhere at his return to the Eternal City. On 
October 5 Fr. James I. Maguire, in succession to 
Fr. Charles J. Mullaly, was made Moderator of 
the Catholic Truth Society, retaining the office till 
December 14, when Fr. Mulligan replaced him. 
The church visits prescribed for the Jubilee pro- 
claimed by Pope Pius X in honor of Constantine 
and his Edict of Milan were made by the people of 
St. Aloysius in a body on October 26. With the 
priests of the parish at their head, men, women, and 
children to the number of 4,000 marched in bands 
from one to the other of the three churches appointed 
and prayed for the intentions of Our Holy Father. 
Fr. Maguire preached the Students' Retreat, which 
opened on October 28. 

Between November 10 and November 30 a colossal 
Fair, under the auspices of Notre Dame Academy, 
was conducted in the College Hall, with a view to 
raising funds for the purpose of erecting a new paro- 
chial school for girls. This Fair marked the begin- 
ning of an undertaking destined to be crowned with 
success in 1920. The "Fair Bulletin," issued by the 
ladies in charge, was most handsome, and its charm- 
ing account of the work done in the parish by the 
Sisters of Notre Dame won great praise for its 
author, Miss Hortense McGowan. It tells us that 
the pioneers in the work were Sisters Lidwine, Claire, 
and Mary Clemence, sent by Sister Superior Louise 
in November, 1872, to Washington from Cincinnati, 
at the solicitation of Fr. James Clark, Mrs. Gen. 
William T. Sherman, and Mrs. Feran. In 1876 
Fr. Charles Jenkins, then Rector of Gonzaga, built 
the present Girls' School on North Capitol and 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 245 

Myrtle Streets, and at that early date the pupils 
numbered 390. The work done by the school 
between 1880 and 1913 is gloriously summed up in 
this graphic enumeration of its products. It boasts 
between these years 185 graduates, and points with 
pride to the fact that thirty-five of the fairest among 
them consecrated themselves to the higher life in 
Notre Dame and other religious congregations. 
Notre Dame girls without number teach in the city 
schools and hold positions of trust in the various 
government departments; five of them are organists 
in city churches, and church choirs are largely made 
up of their membership. The mothers in St. 
Aloysius' Parish are Notre Dame girls, wives to 
doctors, lawyers, and men of business — "worthy 
helpmates," as the chronicler observes, "in happy 
unions blessed by God and Holy Church." Nor do 
the Bachelor Girls of St. Aloysius' fail of honorable 
mention, so forward in every good work undertaken 
by the clergy, veritable nuns in a wicked and wild 
world. 

Christmas services on December 25 were con- 
ducted with the usual splendor, the Apostolic Dele- 
gate presiding and giving his blessing at the late 
Mass. On Good Friday, April 10, 1914, Fr. Timothy 
B. Barrett preached the "Three Hours," and on 
Easter Sunday, April 12, Fr. Thomas J. Delihant of 
Baltimore was the preacher. Fr. Roche went to 
Georgetown on April 17 to assume the duties of 
Minister. Fr. Geale was made Minister at Gonzaga, 
and Fr. Duarte, the retiring Minister of Georgetown, 
became Prefect of Studies at Gonzaga. On April 18, 
Fr. Sweeney was called from Holy Cross College, 



246 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Worcester, to assist at the funeral of his brother. 
On May 10 Most Rev. Archbishop Bonzano admin- 
istered Confirmation to a large number of boys and 
girls in the Upper Church. The Prize Elocution 
Contest was held in the hall on May 19. The May 
Procession for the children of the parish was con- 
ducted with the usual splendor and solemnity on 
May 24. The Annual Debate, with the Panama 
Canal and Coastwise Shipping for subject, took 
place on June 2. 

The Alumni Banquet on June 4 was honored by the 
presence of the Speaker of the National House of 
Representatives, Hon. Champ Clark, and of Senator 
Ashurst from Arizona. Mr. Clark in a happy speech 
called attention to a feature in Jesuit education apt 
to escape men's notice, the close contact between 
teacher and pupil and the personal interest in one 
another created by such contact. Archbishop Bon- 
zano presided at the feast, and Rev. Fr. McDonnell, 
in line with the speeches of the evening, urged the 
boys to rise to an appreication of the advantages 
attaching to a Catholic education. Commencement 
Exercises were held in the hall on June 16. The 
essays of the evening dealt with the various aspects 
of Mexico, and Rev. T. K. O'Reilly, O. P., addressed 
the graduates. The tower clock in the church was 
again silent between June 28 and July 4, and Mr. 
Joseph Johnson, S. J., the expert mechanician, who 
on this and former occasions put it to rights, got a 
lot of publicity in the daily papers. On July 11 
Mr. Aloysius Mack, S. J., was at the college to 
assist at the funeral of his brother, Ignatius. A 
Lawn Party of three days' duration was opened on 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 247 

July 20, and realized a neat sum for the future Girls' 
School. 

1914-1915 

Officers and Faculty for the coming year were 
appointed on July 31, and the list follows: Rev. 
Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Rector; Fr. John C. 
Geale, Minister; Fr. James A. Noonan, Chaplain; 
Fr. Augustus J. Duarte, Prefect of Studies; Frs. 
William J. Brooks, Clement S. Lancaster, John H. 
Mulligan, John B. Pittar, William J. Quigley, and 
John Scully, Parish-priests; Fr. Edward J. Sweeney 
and Messrs. John A. Dixon, Timothy J. McCarthy, 
William H. McClellan, Martin A. Schmitt, and 
Aloysius B. Wessling, Teachers. 

The World War had hardly begun in 1914 when the 
Universal Head of the Church on earth, Pope Pius X 
of happy memory, succumbed to a fatal illness. He 
died the morning of August 20; and his death, we 
are told, was accelerated by solicitude for his children, 
beset by the horrors of a four years' struggle. On 
the same day, and less than a half hour later, Very 
Rev. Fr. Francis Xavier Wernz, General of the 
Society of Jesus, yielded up his soul to God, and the 
thought of the trials and hardships awaiting his 
well-beloved Society and its members must have 
lain like a shadow on his last moments. Solemn 
requiem services were held for both in St. Aloysius' 
Church. The memory of Our Holy Father was kept 
on August 28, when Rev. Fr. McDonnell officiated 
at Solemn Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul 
and delivered an eloquent tribute to his virtues. 
His sermon was a summing up of this great Pope's 
wonderful achievements in history, stressing par- 



248 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

ticularly his zeal for the growth and propagation of 
frequent communion in the Church. On August 30 
the children of the parish, numbering 2,000, went to 
Holy Communion in a body for the soul of their 
common Father. Like honor was done Very Rev. 
Fr. General Wernz on August 31. In accordance 
with an age old custom, Dominican Fathers con- 
ducted the funeral service on this occasion. Very 
Rev. Fr. Martin A. Waldron, O. P., Prior of the 
Dominican House of Studies at Brookland, said the 
Mass, with Fr. John A. Dempsey, O. P., for deacon 
and Fr. William L. Whalen, O. P., for subdeacon. 
Monsignors Thomas S. Lee, James F. Mackin, and 
William T. Russell were in the Sanctuary, and 
Most Rev. Archbishop Bonzano presided. 

College classes opened on September 12, and 
Right Rev. Bishop Currier in an impressive sermon 
urged the boys to study at top speed all through 
the year. On September 29 Rev. Fr. McDonnell's 
Third Sunday Brigade, with its Moderator at its 
head, visited Baltimore, to lend eclat to the mag- 
nificent parade inaugurated by the Catholic Feder- 
ated Societies of America; and, true to its traditions, 
it was the one outstanding feature of the procession 
and won plaudits all along the line of march. 

Mr. Simon Hollohan, an old parishioner, and 
father of the two illustrious Jesuits, Fathers Martin 
and John, was buried from the church on October 
10, and the ceremonies were unusually impressive. 
Fr. Aloysius Brosnan paid a most eloquent tribute 
to his memory. Years before he had made generous 
offering of his two sons to the service of God, and 
the honest pride he took in them was part of his 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 249 

recompense. They went before him to their re- 
ward, and their going out made a void in his life 
that friends were quick to notice. But resignation 
to God's will was one of the prominent qualities in 
his sturdy character, and no word of complaint 
escaped him. Faith was an instinct with him, and 
integrity was part of his nature. He was a man of 
few words, but the few he uttered were weighty and 
well worth while. His eyes actually beamed kind- 
ness, and he had a quiet way of making everybody 
feel at home in his company; all his bearing, in fact, 
was a vivid reminder of Fr. Martin and Fr. John. 
See one Hollohan and you have seen them all, was 
a common saying among friends, so uniformly the 
same were the traits and characteristics of father, 
mother, sons, and daughters. 

The Knights of Columbus held Vesper services in 
the church October 11. All the Councils of the 
District were represented, and the Knights par- 
ticipating were no fewer than 1,500. Monsignor 
Mackin gave Benediction, and Rev. Fr. McDonnell 
preached a seasonable and impressive sermon. With 
Fr. Scully for counsellor and guide, the students 
began their retreat on October 27. Much spirit and 
genuine enthusiasm were in evidence at the Alumni 
Reunion, held on November 18 in the College Hall. 
By way of preparation for the Feast of the Immacu- 
late Conception, December 8, a novena of sermons 
was preached in the church by Fr. Edward J. Swee- 
ney, and they contributed much to the fervor dis- 
played at the Sodality Reception and Reunion that 
followed. "Myrtleton Manor" was the play selected 
this year for presentation by the College Dramatic 



250 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Society, and the young actors quite surpassed all 
expectation in the rendition of their several parts. 
An elaborate program was issued in connection with 
the play, and marked a departure for better things. 
Midnight Mass was sung at Christmas, and Arch- 
bishop Bonzano presided at the late Mass. The 
College Chaplain, Fr. Noonan, had been for some 
time ill at Georgetown Hospital, and on January 11 
Fr. Scully was appointed to temporarily fill his 
place. On January 24 Mr. David Goldstein of 
Boston, a convert to the faith, and a public speaker 
of countrywide reputation, lectured in the hall under 
the auspices of the Knights of Columbus. " Social- 
ism" was his subject, and in a most effective way 
he disposed of its mad principles and extravagant 
methods. The mother of Mr. Knight, S. J., was 
buried from the church on January 30. This same 
morning, Mr. Francis P. LeBuffe, S. J., assisted as 
subdeacon at the funeral Mass of his father, Mr. 
Adolphe LeBuffe, a lifelong resident of the parish. 

Bishop O'Connell of Richmond sang Pontifical 
High Mass on St. Patrick's Day, March 17. The 
Pope had proclaimed Sunday, March 21, "Peace 
Sunday"; and, in accordance with our Holy Father's 
wishes, Catholics throughout the world spent the 
day in their churches supplicating the God of Mercy 
to guide the nations aright in the raging crisis. At 
St. Aloysius' there was exposition of the Blessed 
Sacrament all day, and prayer services were held at 
short intervals. On March 28 Fr. Geale was 
summoned home to New Jersey, to assist at the 
deathbed of his mother. At the Good Friday 
services, on April 2, Fr. Joseph A. McEneany of 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 251 

Woodstock preached the "Three Hours," and Easter 
was observed on April 4, with the usual solemnity. 
A vaudeville show staged by members of the Alumni 
themselves was an added and highly appreciated 
feature of the Alumni Banquet, served in the New 
Ebbitt Hotel on April 19. One hundred and fifty 
old boys sat down to the feast. The topic for dis- 
cussion at the Annual Debate on April 21 was the 
advisability of maintaining a powerful navy. The 
Prize Elocution Contest was featured on May 19. 
The annual May Procession was had on May 23, 
and Fr. Sweeney preached the sermon of the day. 

This year saw the demise of one of the most 
gifted sons of St. Aloysius' Parish and Gonzaga 
College in the person of Fr. Timothy Brosnahan, 
who passed away at Georgetown Hospital on June 
4. Fr. Brosnahan was born in Alexandria, Va., 
January 8, 1856, and baptized in the Jesuit church 
of St. Mary, since transferred to the secular clergy. 
That same year his parents moved to the District 
and in 1861 to St. Aloysius' Parish, where he heard 
his first Mass and made his First Communion and 
was confirmed, and whence in June, 1915, he was 
buried. Having attended the parish school, he 
entered Gonzaga College at the age of 13, leaving in 
1872 for the Jesuit Novitiate at Frederick, Mary- 
land. His whole pre- Jesuit life was centered in St. 
Aloysius' Parish. "I never went to confession to 
any but a Jesuit priest"; "I never attended a public 
school, a blessing I owe to a thoroughly Christian 
mother;" were remarks of his in his latter days. 

After his novice days and the years of literary, 
scientific and philosophical studies customary in the 



252 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Jesuit Order, he taught four years in Boston College, 
leaving a deep impress on the boys, who never failed 
to throng enthusiastically around him when he 
returned in later years to Boston as Professor and 
President. After a fifth year of teaching at George- 
town and the customary theological course at Wood- 
stock College, Woodstock, Md., he taught philosophy 
for two years at the Scholasticate at Woodstock, 
and for two years at Boston College, succeeding to 
the presidency of the latter institution in 1894. 
This position he held for four years marked by steady 
intellectual and financial progress. Later he was 
Professor of Ethics for eleven years at Woodstock, 
and for six years at Loyola College, Baltimore, Md. 

Fr. Brosnahan was marked by a strong, rugged, 
but tender character, with a master passion for 
clear, logical thought, which he could clothe in 
English of unrivalled beauty and power. All these 
traits were most clearly evinced in an educational 
controversy with President Eliot of Harvard, whose 
hitherto extravagant reputation as an educationalist 
and pedagogical reformer he did much to blast. 
His brochure, "President Eliot and Jesuit Colleges," 
will long remain a model of perfect English, utmost 
urbanity, and razor-like sharpness and precision of 
thought and language. At his death Fr. Brosnahan 
was engaged on his magnum opus, a treatise in 
English on Ethics, for which he had prepared the 
way by a splendid Latin work dealing with the same 
topic. 

Chief Justice White once said of him: "Father 
Brosnahan has a wonderfully clear and comprehen- 
sive mind. With such men for professors there is 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 253 

no wonder that the Jesuits are in the forefront as 
educators." And another distinguished layman 
wrote of him at his death: "The Order has lost one 
of its brightest lights, the Catholic Church one of 
her ablest men, and the United States one of the 
really great men of his time. It has been my good 
fortune in the last twenty years to meet most of 
the men with reputations in this country, and no 
man in my judgment stood higher than he." The 
Jesuit Province of Maryland-New York, of which he 
was a brilliant member, no less than St. Aloysius' 
Parish, of which he was a son, will long cherish his 
memory. 

Commencement Exercises were held on June 16. 
Fourteen graduates received diplomas. Archbishop 
Bonzano presided, and Fr. Alphonsus J. Donlon, 
President of Georgetown University, made the address 
of the evening. On June 20 the Feast of St. Aloysius 
was solemnized with Pontifical Mass by Rt. Rev. 
Bishop Thomas J. Shahan of the Catholic University. 
A lawn party, designed to raise funds for the con- 
templated Girls' School, was held between July 15 
and July 19. 

1915-1916 

The Officers and Faculty of this scholastic year 
follow: Rev. Fr. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, Rector; 
Fr. George E. Kelly, Minister; Fr. Edward X. 
Fink, Chaplain; Fr. Augustus J. Duarte, Prefect of 
Studies; Frs. William J. Brooks, Clement S. Lan- 
caster, John H. Mulligan, John O'Hara, John Scully, 
and William J. Tynan, Parish-priests; Frs. Edward 
J. Sweeney and Henry J. Hagen, with Messrs. 



254 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Santo J. Catalano, Albert H. Klocke, Timothy J. 
McCarthy, and William A. Whalen, Teachers. 

The College opened on September 18, with 116 
students. On opening day the boys in the parochial 
school numbered 460; the girls 530. This year the 
teaching staff of the Boys' Parochial School under- 
went a complete change, the Sisters of Mercy, who 
had been in charge since 1903, yielding place to the 
Sisters of Notre Dame, who had conducted the 
Girls' Parochial School from its inception in 1872. 
Regret at the loss of the Sisters of Mercy was parish- 
wide, and yet untoward circumstances made the 
step necessary. No convent could be provided for 
them in the near neighborhood of the school, and 
the long journey they had to make every day from 
their temporary residence at St. Catherine's Home on 
Capitol Hill was making inroads on the health of the 
Sisters. For ten years and more they had submitted 
to distressing inconveniences and discomfort, and 
with no prospect of relief in sight they felt con- 
strained to withdraw their services. Under the lead 
of able Directresses like Sister Carmelita, Fidelia, 
and Rita, successive bands of skilled teachers 
worked a transformation in the boys of the parish, 
making them models of study and models of conduct ; 
and the little entertainments they provided for each 
year's close were the admiration of parents, and 
eloquent tributes to their consummate ability as 
educators. They will be forever and gratefully 
remembered as pioneers in the work of training the 
boys of St. Aloysius', performing, while opportunity 
offered, for our little men the kindness done our 
little women by the good Sisters of Notre Dame. 



CHAPTER XXII 
Rev. Francis P. Donnelly, S. J. (1915-1916) 

SEPTEMBER 27, 1915, marked a change of 
administration at Gonzaga. On that day Rev. 
Fr. Francis P. Donnelly was proclaimed its 
twenty-second Rector, in succession to Fr. Eugene 
DeL. McDonnell. Three days later, on September 
30, Fr. McDonnell set out for St. Joseph's Church 
in Philadelphia, to take up the work of parish- 
priest and make his zeal felt in that wide field of 
activity. On October 3 Rev. Fr. Donnelly and the 
students of the college met in the Hall to exchange 
greetings and become acquainted. The Holy Name 
Parade on October 10 was another triumph for the 
Third Sunday Brigade, proud to have its old leader, 
Fr. McDonnell, back even for a day. With that 
zeal for the diffusion of knowledge characteristic 
of his brief rule at Gonzaga, Rev. Fr. Donnelly 
instituted in the College on October 16 a series of 
evening classes on different topics. He personally 
took charge of a class in English literature and 
composition, and his lectures were always crowded. 
In this evening course, Fr. John O'Hara lectured on 
philosophy, while Fr. Augustus Duarte dealt with 
sociological questions of the day. Fr. O'Hara opened 
a retreat for the boys on October 27. 

On November 4 the parish suffered a great loss 
in the death of good Fr. Noonan. He had filled 
a long period of service, and during all the years of 
his ministry he was an angel of comfort to the poor 
and afflicted, with all the dignity and authority 

255 



256 HISTORY OF GONZAG A COLLEGE 

attaching to a patriarch among his people. He was 
best acquainted with the oldest inhabitants and had 
a peculiar faculty for recalling names and faces and 
incidents after long protracted stretches of separa- 
tion from them. He died at Georgetown Hospital 
after a lingering illness, and his funeral from the 
church on November 6 was attended by many 
notables among the clergy of the city, like Mon- 
signors Russell, Mackin, and Lee. 

By way of preparation for the Feast of the Immacu- 
late Conception, and for the Sodality Reception, 
usual on that occasion, Fr. Brooks preached a novena 
of sermons, ending on December 8. Services on 
Christmas Day were attended with the usual splendor, 
Fr. Charles J. Mullaly of Fordham University preach- 
ing the sermon. Fr. Owen A. Hill of the same 
university preached at the closing exercises of the 
year on December 31. War was everywhere the 
besetting interest this year of 1916, and the Cadet 
Battalion, once the pride and glory of Gonzaga, now 
crumbling towards decay, was reorganized on Feb- 
ruary 8 and put on a sound basis. The men of 
St. Vincent de Paul added to their funds for the poor 
with the help of a most instructive and inspiring 
lecture on the "Early Christian Martyrs," delivered 
in the Hall by their zealous Spiritual Director, Fr. 
Tynan, on March 26. 

On Holy Thursday of this year, April 2 1 , an inno- 
vation in the selection of night adorers was intro- 
duced. Hitherto this Guard of Honor had been 
composed of volunteers among the men of the parish. . 
This year the ranks of the Third Sunday Brigade 
furnished a large quota of adorers the whole night 




Rev. Francis P. Donnelly, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 259 

through. On Good Friday, April 22, Fr. W. Coleman 
Nevils preached the "Three Hours," and on Easter 
Sunday, April 24, Fr. John O'Hara was the preacher. 
On April 27 Fr. Owen A. Hill was called from 
Fordham to assist at the deathbed of his mother, 
and on April 29 he conducted her funeral. Fr. 
Joseph A. Mulry, the Rector of Fordham University, 
with others was present in the Sanctuary, and he 
delivered a brief eulogy. Gonzaga and Loyola of 
Baltimore clashed in public debate on May 3. 
The Prize Elocution Contest was held on May 17; 
and on May 29 the children of the parish, 1,200 
strong, had their May Procession, marching to the 
music of the College Drum and Bugle Corps. Inspec- 
tion of the Cadets followed on May 30, and a very 
spirited Prize Debate was given the same evening, 
with Literacy as a Test for Immigration for subject. 
Fr. Timothy Barrett preached at the Military Mass 
on June 11. The College Cadets had their Prize 
Drill on June 13; and next day, June 14, they par- 
ticipated in the Preparedness Parade ordered for 
the District by His Excellency President Wilson. 
An Alumni meeting preceded Commencement Exer- 
cises on June 15; Archbishop Bonzano presided, 
and Fr. Aloysius Brosnan addressed the graduates. 
The Alumni Banquet at the New Ebbitt Hotel, on 
June 19, was a sumptuous affair. Covers were set 
for ninety-six, and enthusiasm ran high. Mrs. 
Norris, a lifelong resident of the parish and a model 
Catholic mother, was buried from the church on 
June 27. Her daughters, Laura and Ruth, were 
talented musicians, and when girls at school con- 
tributed of their skill to many a church entertainment. 



CHAPTER XXIII 
Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J. (1916- -) 

ON July 7, 1916, Rev. Fr. Donnelly yielded 
place as Rector to Rev. Fr. Paul R. Conniff, 
Gonzaga's twenty-third President. The fol- 
lowing day, July 8, Fr. Donnelly set out for Holy 
Cross College, Worcester, the scene of his future 
labors. Rev. Fr. Conniff introduced himself to his 
people by preaching at all the Masses on July 9. 

1916-1917 

The status or list of Officers and Faculty for the 
coming year was published as usual on July 31, and 
recorded the following: Rev. Fr. Paul R. Conniff, 
Rector; Fr. George E. Kelly, Minister; Fr. Myles 
A. McLoughlin, Chaplain; Fr. Augustus J. Duarte, 
Prefect of Studies; Frs. William J. Brooks, Clement 
S. Lancaster, John H. Mulligan, John O'Hara, 
John Scully, William J. Tynan, Parish-priests; with 
Frs. Edward J. Sweeney and Henry J. Hagen and 
Messrs. Santo J. Catalano, Charles J. Robinson, 
Charles M. Roddy and William A. Whalen, Teachers. 

At the solemnization of the feast of St. Ignatius 
in the church, Fr. John P. Meagher, preached. 
College opened on October 2, with 134 students. 
Schools were delayed everywhere by the prevalence 
of infantile paralysis throughout the country. The 
parochial schools opened on the same date, the boys 
numbering 360; the girls 550. Beginning with 
October 5, the weekly holiday in the college was 
changed from Thursday to Saturday. 

260 




Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 263 

This year the evening course of lectures was con- 
tinued: Fr. O'Hara lecturing on Philosophy; Fr. 
Duarte on Pedagogy; Fr. Scully on History; Fr. 
Sweeney on Public Speaking; James F. Hartnett, 
A. M., of the Catholic University Faculty, on 
English Composition and Literature; and Augustin 
de Yturbide, Ph. B. on Spanish and French Language 
and Literature. Fr. Scully being transferred to 
New York City during the year, his place as lecturer 
in History was filled by Fr. Joseph A. Farrell, S. J., 
of the Georgetown faculty. 

A mammoth Holy Name Parade in Baltimore on 
October 15 evoked another splendid manifestation 
of faith and piety in these parts, and 500 men of the 
Third Sunday Brigade went over in a body to par- 
ticipate in the triumph. True to traditions, they 
were the one outstanding feature in the procession. 
Fr. Lawrence J. Kelly opened a retreat for the college 
students on October 25. The no vena of sermons 
by way of preparation for the approaching feast of 
the Immaculate Conception, December 8, was 
preached by Fr. John A. Cotter, a new addition to 
the staff, come from New York to replace Fr. Scully. 
December 15 was Play Night at the college and 
the boys acquitted themselves of a very creditable 
performance of Shakespeare's "King Henry IV." 
Christmas was kept with Midnight Mass and all its 
attendant pomp and splendor. Rev. John F. X. 
Murphy of Fordham University preached at Christ- 
mas and at the closing services of the year. 

The holidays were hardly over when serious 
thought began to be had of a new home for the 
Girls' Parochial School. Various sums of money 



264 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

had been raised for the purpose on different occa- 
sions, but by no means enough to justify the erection 
of a new building. The old building was fast falling 
apart, and only the hardest kind of effort kept it 
together. Every day the need of a new school be- 
came more pressing and more apparent, and Rev. 
Fr. Conniff, quick to realize that something must be 
done, and done in a hurry, hit on the plan of a whirl- 
wind campaign in the parish for a sum of money 
proportional to the colossal undertaking. Conserva- 
tive estimates placed the expense of a modern,' up- 
to-date building at the bewildering figure of a hundred 
thousand dollars; and nothing daunted by the 
prospects, encouraged by the army of willing workers 
at his back, Rev. Fr. Conniff announced in January, 
1917, an early drive for subscriptions, totaling Jthe 
amount needed. It is safe to say that all January 
was spent devising ways and means to make the 
drive a success, and under the capable management 
of Mr. Charles Jerome Sheffield of Cleveland, Ohio, 
an expert in transactions of the kind, plans were 
formulated and teams were ready to begin active 
operations on February 7. Ten days of hard work 
on the part of everybody concerned secured pledges 
to the amount of 100,000 dollars; and, amid a 
tumult of excitement on the night of February 17, 
the eve of Ash Wednesday, Rev. Fr. Conniff was 
able to declare a new school for the girls of the 
parish, financially speaking, an accomplished reality. 
Other happenings, of course, had place in the 
parish during January, February and March; but, 
compared with the absorbing work of the Drive, 
they were too insignificant to catch the chronicler's 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 267 

notice. Pausing only long enough to remark that 
on February 18, His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons 
confirmed 450 children with 55 adults, he hurries 
without more ado to the month of April. The 
"Three Hours" on Good Friday, April 6, were 
preached by Rev. Fr. Conniff, and Fr. John F. X. 
Murphy preached on Easter Sunday, April 8. 
Capital and Labor were the topics selected for the 
Prize Debate on April 27. The Elocution Contest 
was held on May 16. The children of the parish 
had their May Procession on May 20, and were 
favored with beautiful weather. 

Our country was already embarked in war, and 
Memorial Exercises on Decoration Day, May 30, 
were most elaborate. Former Governor Martin H. 
Glynn of New York was the orator of the occasion, 
and his eloquent patriotism made the event memo- 
rable. Immediately before these civic services at 
the Union Station Plaza, in front of Columbus' 
statue, Solemn High Military Mass was celebrated 
in St. Aloysius' Church by Right Rev. Bishop 
Thomas J. Shahan, Rector of the Catholic Univer- 
sity, His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons presiding and 
Right Rev. Bishop Currier preaching. The Mass 
finished, a service-flag of colossal dimensions, bear- 
ing 200 stars, emblematic of the men of the parish 
in the field for their country, was unfurled in front of 
the church, to wave there till the end of the war. 
June 5 was Registration Day for the District, and in 
common with other patriotic citizens, members of 
the College Faculty of military age reported for 
enrollment. Commencement Exercises were held 
on June 13, and Right Rev. Bishop Currier presided 



268 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

at the function. Fr. John P. Meagher preached at 

the solemnization of the feast of St. Aloysius on 

June 24. 

1917-1918 

This year the status or official list for college and 
church was issued on July 20, and it recorded these 
assignments: Rev. Fr. Paul R. Conniff, Rector; 
Fr. George E. Kelly, Minister; Fr. William J. Tynan, 
Chaplain; Fr. Augustus J. Duarte, Prefect of Studies; 
Frs. William J. Brooks, John A. Cotter, Clement S. 
Lancaster, John H. Mulligan and John B. Pittar, 
Parish-priests; Frs. Henry J. Hagen and Edward J. 
Sweeney, with Messrs. Santo J. Catalano, Francis 
E. Low, Charles M. Roddy, and William A. Whalen, 
Teachers. 

Fr. Frederick W. Boehm, a newly ordained priest 
and former teacher at Gonzaga, preached at the 
solemnization of the feast of St. Ignatius on August 
5. The college opened on September 10, with 120 
students. The parochial schools opened on the 
same day, the boys in attendance numbering 370; 
the girls 425. The evening courses were resumed 
in October. Fr. John Cotter replaced Fr. O'Hara 
as lecturer in philosophy and gave a course in Ethics, 
General and Special. Fr. Duarte lectured on Public 
Speaking; James F. Hartnett, A. B., of the Catholic 
University, continued his popular lectures on Eng- 
lish, while Augustin de Yturbide, Ph. B., conducted 
as last year a course in French and Spanish. 

In accordance with the wishes of our Chief Execu- 
tive, Mass was said on October 28, for the success of 
the American army. Beginning on October 29, 
Fr. John A. Cotter gave the students their retreat. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 269 

Fr. Mullaly's sister was buried from St. Martin's 
church on November 7, and many of the Fathers were 
present at the services. Thanksgiving Day was 
kept with unusual solemnity. A Military Mass 
and Fr. Sweeney's patriotic sermon were features 
of the occasion. Beginning December 9, the soldier 
boys at Camp Meigs, numbering 12,000, were treated 
to a series of entertainments in the Hall by members 
of the Aloysius Club. The Students produced 
Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors" on December 17, 
and quite maintained Gonzaga's reputation in the 
field of dramatic ability. Midnight Mass was sung 
at Christmas, and on December 31, Fr. John P. 
Meagher preached at the services held in honor of 
the Old Year. 

Death visited the college early in the year 1918, 
and removed from the ranks the grand old veteran, 
Fr. Clement S. Lancaster. He died at his post of 
duty. On the morning of January 14, he was taken 
violently sick at the 6.30 Mass, and at 2.45 that 
afternoon he peacefully breathed his last. God rest 
his soul. His funeral followed on January 17, and 
the large number of priests in the Sanctuary was an 
eloquent tribute of respect to his memory. On 
February 17, the men of the Third Sunday Brigade 
were honored with a visit from Archbishop Bonzano. 
He said their Mass, gave them Holy Communion, and 
encouraged them with a few well chosen words of 
warm praise. February 21, witnessed an inter- 
scholastic Debate on Government Control of Rail- 
roads, between teams from Gonzaga and Loyola of 
Baltimore, and Gonzaga was announced the winner. 

At the cost of great care and labor on the part of 



2 70 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Fr. Duarte and a corps of energetic assistants, the 
people of Washington were treated to graphic 
representations of the Passion Play "On the Slopes 
of Calvary" each Sunday in Lent under the auspices 
of Gonzaga College. The play is from the pen of 
the well-known Italian Augustinian, Aurelio Pal- 
mieri, and was Englished by Henry Grattan Doyle, 
Instructor of Romance Languages at Harvard Uni- 
versity. The actors were drawn from all over the 
city and included in their number amateurs of an 
exceptionally high order, some of whom were non- 
Catholics. Their devotion may well be gauged 
from the extraordinary attendance at rehearsals and 
at the many performances afternoon and evening all 
gratuitously rendered. 

Though it may seem invidious to single out for 
special mention any of the talented cast of characters 
which we reproduce in full, nevertheless some names 
call for more particular mention. Such were Mr. 
Maurice Jarvis, Mr. Arthur B. White and Mr. E. B. 
O'Brien who impersonated Caiphas, Judas and Azar 
respectively; and Miss Estelle Murray and Mrs. 
E. J. Deeds who took the parts of Rachel and Esther. 
Mr. Arthur B. White in addition to rendering the 
part of Judas was also responsible for the dramatic 
direction of the whole play. 

CAST OF CHARACTERS 

The Blessed Virgin Mary Miss Teresa Connell 

Caiphas, the High Priest Mr. Maurice Jarvis 

Judas Mr. Arthur B. White 

Pilate Mr. H. F. Dolan 

Zacchaeus Mr. Francis J. Cleary 

Azar, an influential Pharisee Mr. E. B. O'Brien 

Rachel, his daughter Miss Estelle Murray 

Peter, the Apostle Mr. Finley Hayes 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 2 71 

John, the Beloved Disciple Mr. Lawrence K. Downey 

Esther, sister of Judas Mrs. E. J. Deeds 

Naason, priest and supporter of Caiphas Mr. John H. Pellen 

A nnas, a priest Mr. Finley Hayes 

Abner Pharisees / Mr - Denis K Conne11 

Eleazar J I Mr. A. Edward Hall 

Mary Magdalen Miss Charlotte V. Pairo 

Martha Miss Rose Healy 

Veronica Miss Anna Ford 

Lydia, Pilate's wife Miss Martha Ford 

Fidvia, Pilate's daughter Miss Madeline O'Brien 

A higaU Companions of Rachel ( Miss Mina Pairo 

Athalia J I Miss Virginia Ford 

Azarias \p • f /Mr. Thomas W. Greene 

Joachim J I Mr. Lawrence K. Downey 

Syanus, a Centurion Mr. Arthur C. Hennings 

Fulvius 

Publius 

Cato 

Placidus 



Mr. John E. McKensie 
Mr. Francis Dougherty 

Soldiers i Mr. John J. Carmody 

' Mr. John F. Sullivan 



Lepidus j [Mr. William J. McGuire 

Lasinius, a Roman Scribe Mr. Paul N. Taylor 

A Roman Attendant Master James J. Kilroy 

People of Jerusalem- John P. Collins, Charles Considine, Paul Eichhorn, 
Richard Brennan, J. J. Dolan, Anthony Fennell, Leo Fogarty, George 
Frank, W. R. Fuhrman, F. E. Fuhrman, Clarence Gorman, Francis 
Hamilton, J. Harrington, Carroll J. Hayes, Lewis Ifft, John Keeley, Thos. 
Folliard, Richard C. Lohmeyer, John J. Long, John Mawhinney, Paul T. 
Mudd, Daniel Murphy, Joseph Nolan, Luke O'Reilly, Thos. E. Pyne, 
John Roddy, Philip J. Ryan, Daniel Scanlan, Daniel B. Scanlon, J. C. 
Schlesinger, William Sheehan, David F. Streeks, H. J. McNerney, F. A. 
Lanahan, Chas. A. Holbrook, William A. Blake and Edw. A. Dycer. 
Soldiers, Mob of Priests and People. 

Not less worthy of mention than the actors were 
Miss Mary Horigan, Miss Anna Hill and Mrs. 
James F. Anderson who designed and made the 
costumes and Mr. John F. Luitich who managed the 
stage. The audiences were large and appreciative 
and numbered among them some of the most illus- 
trious personages of Washington and the vicinity. 
Cardinal Gibbons and the Papal Delegate, Arch- 
bishop Bonzano, Bishop Shahan, Generals Barnett 



2 72 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

and wife, Mclntyre and wife, Erasmus Weaver; 
Admirals Palmer, Benson and Howard, the Ambas- 
sadors from China, Chile, Peru, Mexico, the Ministers 
from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, 
Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, Venezuela, and rep- 
resentatives from Greece, Nicaragua, Serbia and 
San Domingo were but some of the illustrious guests 
at one or other of the many successful presentations. 
It may fairly be said that this Lent all Washington 
was talking about Gonzaga and its Passion Play 
which has done much spiritual good. 

A Military Mass marked the celebration of St. 
Patrick's Day, March 17; and, after the services in 
the church, the Cadets paraded the streets of the 
neighborhood. In view of the war, Patriotic Rallies 
were events of common occurrence throughout the 
city. One such meeting, called in the parish on 
March 18, was made notable by the eloquence of 
Fr. Sweeney. The exercises of Holy Week and 
Easter were all performed with due solemnity and 
grandeur. On Good Friday, March 29, Fr. John H. 
O ' Rourke preached the ' ' Three Hours . ' ' The Annual 
Prize Debate turned on Military Training, and the 
date set for it was April 28. The Elocution Contest 
followed on May 10. Exceptionally good weather 
favored the May Procession of the children on May 
19, and the edifying spectacle attracted a multitude 
of devout worshippers. Fr. John W. Coveney 
addressed the children. The Band Concert staged 
for May 28, proved another grand success, due to the 
direction of an old friend of the college, Mr. Amabile 
Samuels, formerly of the United States Marine Band, 
who for years gratuitously gave his services. Com- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 273 

mencement exercises on June 12, closed the work of 
the Scholastic year. 

On June 22, word reached the college of Fr. 
Sweeney's appointment as chaplain to the soldiers at 
Camp Meigs. St. Aloysius' day was kept with the 
usual solemnity on June 23. Fr. Bernard A. Fuller, 
a native son of the parish, and recently ordained a 
priest at Woodstock, sang High Mass, and Rev. Fr. 
Conniff preached the sermon. On July 26, Fr. John 
A. Cotter was summoned to New York to assume 
the post of Army Chaplain and later proceed to 
Camp Humphreys in Virginia for active duty. On 
his way to camp he paused at Gonzaga to receive a 
splendid testimonial at the hands of the people of 
the parish. His friends crowded the Hall; and, 
after some highly congratulatory speeches in his 
honor, he was presented with an altar-set, a neat sum 
of money, a watch and other valuable gifts. A 
Jesuit missionary, Fr. Van der Scheuren, talked at 
all the Masses on July 29, in behalf of his work in the 
East, and succeeded in collecting a thousand dollars 
and more for our Missions in British India. The 
Minister of Belgium was a guest of the Fathers on 
July 31, and took occasion to say how proud he was 
to have been a pupil of the Jesuits at home. 

1918-1919 

The status or official list for the year was posted 
on July 31, and its substance follows: Rev. Fr. 
Paul R. Conniff, Rector; Fr. George E. Kelly, 
Minister; Fr. William J. Tynan, Chaplain; Fr. 
Augustus J. Duarte, Prefect of Studies; Frs. William 
J. Brooks, John H. Mulligan and John B. Pittar, 
Parish-priests; Frs. Joseph I. Fink, Henry J. Hagen, 



274 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Edward J. Sweeney and Messrs. Santo J. Catalano, 
Robert S. Lloyd, Francis E. Low and Charles M. 
Roddy, Teachers. 

On August 1, announcement was made of Rev. 
Joseph H. Rockwell's appointment as Provincial of 
the Maryland-New York Province. Fr. Augustus 
J. Duarte left Gonzaga on August 26, to become 
Minister at Woodstock College. Sister Teresa the 
same day succeeded Sister M. Alice as Superioress 
at Notre Dame and head of the Girls' Parochial 
School. The office of Prefect of Studies at the Col- 
lege made vacant by the departure of Fr. Duarte to 
Woodstock was filled in September by the appoint- 
ment of Fr. J. Charles Davey. Father Joseph I. 
Fink on the same day became Treasurer. On 
September 16, the parochial schools opened with a 
joint attendance of 803. A week later, on Septem- 
ber 23, the college resumed studies with a roll call of 
140. The parochial schools had by this time assumed 
the giant proportions of 957 pupils, the boys num- 
bering 410; the girls 547. 

Colleges and schools had hardly begun operations 
when a second epidemic of Spanish influenza swept 
the entire country, and health authorities every- 
where as a precautionary measure ordered the 
cessation of scholastic work. For an entire month 
between October 2 and November 4, the college 
and the two parochial schools were empty and 
silent. Work was resumed in all three on Novem- 
ber 4. In deference to the wishes of civil authority, 
St. Aloysius' Church was likewise closed to public 
worship during the same interval. Weather per- 
mitting, Masses on Sunday were said in the open. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 2 75 

The evening courses having proved popular were 
again this year a feature of Gonzaga's educational 
activities. Rev. Fr. Conniff lectured on Natural 
Theology; James F. Hartnett, A. M., resumed his 
lectures on English, as did Augustin de Yturbide, 
Ph. B., his lectures in Spanish and French; while 
new courses were offered in Latin and Mathematics 
by Fr. Hagen and Mr. Catalano respectively. This 
year in addition to these purely scholastic courses, 
a series of seventeen popular lectures on as many 
selected topics of timely interest in History, Philos- 
ophy, Literature, Sociology and current events was 
given by members of the Woodstock College and 
Georgetown University faculties. 

Christmas came and went with the usual display 
of fervor, faith and religious splendor. Shake- 
speare's "Twelfth Night" was the play produced 
by the College Dramatic Society, and February 11 
was the date chosen for presentation. April 12 
records the death of Mr. Mudd, one of Gonzaga's 
most faithful alumni, and father to our Scholastic, 
Mr. Maurice A. Mudd. On Good Friday, April 
18, Fr. Dinand preached the " Three Hours," and 
Fr. Francis D. O'Laughlin of Fordham University 
preached the Easter sermon. By way of Annual 
Prize Debate, the students on May 9, discussed a 
second time the question of Government Control of 
Railroads. The Elocution Contest had place on 
May 16. A clear sky and the balmy air of early 
Spring gladdened the hearts of the children on May 
18, the day set apart for their May Procession, and 
Fr. Henry A. Leary added to their pleasure with an 
instructive sermon. The musicians of the Cadet 



276 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Battalion treated their friends and patrons to an 
enjoyable Band Concert in the Hall on June 5, and 
on June 18, Right Rev. Bishop Shahan of the 
Catholic University presided at Commencement 
Exercises. 

June 28, was Ordination Day at Woodstock Col- 
lege; and, to the delight of their relatives and friends 
in the congregation, several of the new priests said 
their First Mass in the church and the college chapel 
on June 29. Fr. Arthur A. O'Leary, well known in 
the parish, and a former student at Gonzaga, cele- 
brated High Mass in the Upper Church, and those 
present listened to an impressive sermon preached 
by Fr. Daniel J. Quinn of New York. Frs. Timothy 
J. McCarthy, Martin A. Schmitt and William F. 
Jordan, former teachers in the college, said their 
First Mass in the college chapel, and laid their 
newly anointed hands in blessing on the head of 
each individual worshipper. July 2, 1919, must 
forever remain a memorable day in the annals of 
St. Aloysius', because it witnessed the beginning of 
actual work on the new building for the Girls' 
Parochial School. Ground was cleared and exca- 
vations were made for the new structure's founda- 
tion. 

1919-1920 

On July 31, appointments were made for the 
ensuing year, and they were to the following effect : 
Rev. Fr. Paul R. ConnifT, Rector; Fr. George E. 
Kelly, Minister; Fr. William J. Tynan, Chaplain; 
Fr. Joseph I. Fink, Treasurer; Fr. J. Charles Davey, 
Prefect of Studies; Frs. William J. Brooks, John E. 
Condon, John H. Mulligan and John B. Pittar, 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 277 

Parish-priests; Frs. Henry J. Hagen, and Edward 
J. Sweeney, with Messrs. Robert S. Lloyd, Francis 
E. Low, Robert T. Smith and Aloysius S. Travers, 
Teachers. 

On August 3, the feast of St. Ignatius was solem- 
nized, and Fr. Charles G. I. Herzog preached the 
panegyric. August 12 witnessed a new step for- 
ward in the progress of the Girls' School; workmen 
laid the concrete pillars, meant to serve for its 
foundation. College opened on September 15, with 
134 present. The parochial schools opened the same 
day, with a total of 911, in attendance, the boys 
numbering 377; the girls 534. "Pershing Day," 
proclaimed on September 17 by President Wilson 
in honor of America's military hero in the World 
War was a holiday in the District. On September 
21, Fr. Eugene McDonnell was back again with his 
men of the Third Sunday Brigade, and to his great 
joy and their own poured out his soul to them in a 
torrent of rapturous eloquence. He had but recently 
been appointed to missionary work in distant India, 
and his sermon to the men, much in the nature of 
farewell, was an enthusiastic eulogy of the apostolic 
spirit characteristic of the Catholic Church from the 
days of St. Peter down to our own time. Washing- 
ton was visited by many distinguished churchmen 
on September 24, the occasion being the pioneer 
Convention of the American Hierarchy, called to 
meet problems attendant on the World War. Fr. 
Francis J. Tobin, a Josephite, was a guest at the 
college on October 26. On October 28, Fr. John J. 
Bolster of Philadelphia, preached the opening exer- 
cises of the retreat for the college students. 



278 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

In October the evening courses for teachers and 
professional men were resumed. This year Rev. 
Fr. Conniff lectured on Ethics; J. Eugene Gallery, 
A. M. on Public Speaking; James F. Hartnett, A. M. 
(of the staff of the Catholic University) on English; 
Juan Bautista Champin on Spanish and French; 
Fr. Hagen on Latin; and Fr. John F. X. Murphy, 
professor of History at Georgetown University, on 
the "Origin and Development of Liberty and 
Democracy." 

Early this fall, the vexed question of the New 
Girls' School, again came well to the front. The 
fund of a hundred thousand dollars collected in 
February, 1917, was awaiting the dawn of a more 
propitious time for building operations. The cost 
of material and labor had more than doubled during 
the two years, without any prospect of an immedi- 
ate change for the better. Rev. Fr. Conniff had to 
choose between indefinite delay and a heroic effort 
to raise another hundred thousand. With the 
courageous and unselfish generosity of his people 
well in mind, he chose to make the effort, and on 
November 12, 1919, he summoned together in the 
Hall a band of Campaign Workers 200 strong, to 
sound their dispositions and lay before them his 
plans. All were enthusiastic for the undertaking, 
and the second Drive was launched with a cheer. 
The services of Mr. Sheffield were again secured, 
and with a few changes the work was conducted along 
parallel lines with the memorable Drive of 1917. 
Ten days were thought time enough to report re- 
turns, and the date set for this vitally important part 
of the project was the interval between December 3 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 281 

and December 13. Arrangements were made at the 
same time to close the Drive with the laying of the 
corner stone of the new structure. To the surprise 
of everybody, and to the everlasting credit of the 
people of St. Aloysius', the subscriptions pledged 
by the fifth night, or December 8, amounted to the 
required hundred thousand dollars. The work how- 
ever did not slacken, and by Saturday, December 
13, receipts showed the magnificent total of 
$135,179.55. To cheer the workers and encourage 
contributors, His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons was 
present Saturday, the 13th, the closing night of the 
Drive. Night almost imperceptibly wore to day, 
Saturday grew to Sunday; and, when at 1.40 in the 
morning the meeting dispersed, all repaired to the 
Lower Church to hear a Mass of Thanksgiving said 
by Rev. Fr. Conniff. With due solemnity His 
Eminence the Cardinal laid the corner stone of the 
new school on Sunday, December 14, and the orator 
of the occasion was the Hon. David I. Walsh, junior 
Senator from Massachusetts, a public speaker of 
nation-wide reputation, and a loyal son of the Church, 
quite as distinguished for his simple piety as for his 
rare gift of eloquence. 

December 22 was Play Night at the college, and 
the students presented Shakespeare's "As You Like 
It," in a most creditable manner. Midnight Mass 
was sung at Christmas, and services in the Church 
were on the same elaborate scale as usual. At the 
closing exercises of the old year on December 31, 
Fr. Owen A. Hill of Fordham preached. January 
30, 1920, will grow in importance as the years roll on 
in the history of Gonzaga, as on this date Eamon de 



282 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Valera accompanied by Senator James Reed of 
Missouri and other prominent gentlemen honored 
our College and Faculty with a visit. There was 
an immense gathering assembled to greet him and 
to listen to the splendidly logical address in which 
here as in every other part of our country he pre- 
sented the claims of Ireland to a free and republican 
form of government. Though not old enough to 
have welcomed George Washington into her halls 
Gonzaga feels that she has attained scarcely less 
honor in greeting the first President of the Irish 
Republic. This year, it was remarked, more than 
10,000 people made the Novena of Grace in honor of 
St. Francis Xavier, conducted in the church between 
March 4 and March 12. Cardinal Gibbons cele- 
brated their Communion Mass and preached to the 
men of the Third Sunday Brigade on March 21, and 
on the same day he confirmed 497 children and a 
large number of adults. The preacher on Holy 
Thursday, April 1, was Fr. Thomas A. Becker, and 
on Good Friday, April 2, Fr. Charles J. Mclntyre 
preached the "Three Hours." Fr. Owen A. Hill of 
Fordham preached the Easter Sunday sermon on 
April 4. The Annual Debate had place on April 23. 
On April 24, Very Rev. Fr. Norbert DeBoynes, 
Visitor to the Maryland-New York Province, was a 
guest at the college. The boys and girls of the 
parochial school tendered him a reception on April 
28, and on May 1 he left Gonzaga for Buffalo. The 
Elocution contest had place in the Hall on May 7. 
At the May Procession on May 16, fine weather pre- 
vailed and Fr. Condon preached the sermon. On 
Decoration Day, May 30, Rev. Fr. Conniff went with 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 283 

the college Cadets to Fort Myer to attend a Military 
Field Mass held there in honor of the Nation's dead 
heroes. Commencement Exercises were held on 
June 18. Archbishop Bonzano presided and Sen- 
ator David I. Walsh delivered a stirring address to 
the graduates. The Feast of St. Aloysius was kept 
in the Church with becoming solemnity on June 27, 
and Fr. William H. Graham preached the Saint's 
panegyric. On June 29, funeral services were held 
in the Church for Mr. Edward Becker, one of 
Gonzaga's most loyal Alumni, and father to our 
Scholastic, Mr. James J. Becker. On July 25, 
President de Valera of the Irish Republic came a 
second time to visit our College and Community; 
on this occasion he was accompanied by a scarcely 
less heroic and glorious figure, the fearless prelate 
of Melbourne, Archbishop Mannix, who was crossing 
our continent on his way to Ireland. Both delivered 
magnificent addresses of the kind we are coming to 
associate with the modern Irish movement, cool, 
calm, logical, unimpassioned but soul-stirring and 
convincing speeches, rather than the fiery eloquence 
that was so long connected with the Irish name. 

1920-1921 

The centennial year of Gonzaga's history as a 
college opened on July 31, 1920, with the following 
staff: Rev. Fr. Paul R. Conniff, Rector; Fr. George 
E. Kelly, Minister; Fr. William J. Tynan, Chaplain; 
Fr. J. Charles Davey, Prefect of Studies; Fr. Joseph 
I. Fink, Treasurer; Frs. William J. Brooks, John E. 
Condon, Edward F. Gallagher and John B. Pittar, 
Parish -priests ; Frs. Henry J. Hagen, Edward J. 



284 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Sweeney, John J. O'Connor and Messrs. Francis 
E. Low, Robert T. Smith, David A. Daly and 
John Paul Barnes, Teachers. 

The interests of Gonzaga College and St. Aloysius' 
Church are naturally intertwined, and some future 
historian, privileged to weave together the more 
glorious achievements of Gonzaga's second centenary, 
will, no doubt, make the Girls' New School the 
starting point in his narrative. The present writer 
lays down his pen under date of September 1, 1920, 
with the hope to resume work later, and carry his 
narrative down to the Centennial Exercises set for 
November, 1921. From his open window he can 
see the building that sprang up as if by magic, 
destined within a few weeks to be a busy hive of 
educational activity. His dull fancy can readily 
picture the scene attendant on its blessing and 
dedication; and, running further ahead, can catch 
glimpses of its hallways and classrooms peopled by 
devoted Sisters and their innocent charges, the little 
women of the parish, all intent on securing the 
priceless boon of a thorough Catholic education. 
And he feels intimately persuaded that he can best 
close this volume with Rev. Fr. Conniff's own account 
of the two historic Drives, that made the New Notre 
Dame Academy a financial possibility and a miracu- 
lous achievement. Rev. Fr. Conniff begins his 
narrative with the statement that the Sisters of 
Notre Dame de Namur had been teaching the girls 
of St. Aloysius' for nearly fifty years, taking the 
tiny tots of five years of age through the successive 
eight grades, and then through four years of High 
School. It may be worth while to recall here the 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 285 

early history of the schools in the parish, and Miss 
Janie King, but recently gone to her reward, and a 
pioneer in the work, is authority for the facts that 
follow. 

Classes for boys and girls together were opened on 
September 17, 1860, in the basement of the church. 
At the time there was no parochial school in the 
city, and Fr. Wiget, alive to the great need, opened 
this school, employing lay-teachers, among whom 
were Mrs. Mary Woodward, Miss Ellen Whelan, 
Miss Mary Elizabeth Elliot and Miss Emily Elliot, 
Miss Elizabeth Lynch, and Miss Janie King. A Mr. 
Brown also taught in the school. The Sisters of 
Mercy were expected to assume charge, but, as 
Christmas came and went without their arrival, the 
lay-teachers continued the work till the end of the 
year. The accommodations in the basement of the 
church were only temporary, and, after a week or 
two, the school was transferred to the Stephen A. 
Douglas property on First and I Streets N. W. 
Here it remained a year, when lack of the 400 dollars, 
needed to meet the rent, forced it to close. The 
boys went back to the church basement, the girls 
went to the old college building on I Street, now the 
home of the Aloysius' Club. The Sisters of Mercy 
came in the fall of 1861, and taught in the college 
building. They remained, however, but a year, 
when the girls went into a frame building on the 
east side of First, between I and K Streets, lay- 
teachers being employed. The building they occupied 
had an interesting history. Early in the Civil 
War it had been hastily put together by volunteer 
workmen at the request of Fr. Wiget. The District 



286 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Military Governor, Wadsworth, had ordered that St. 
Aloysius' Church be placed at the disposal of the 
Government for use as a hospital for sick and 
wounded soldiers. By way of compromise, Fr 
Wiget offered to build a hospital large enough to 
accommodate 250 patients, and his offer was accepted. 
Colonel Garesche managed the affair, Mr. Peter 
Conlon offered the land, and Mr. John McCollom 
superintended the work. St. Aloysius' Church was 
saved, and a future home for the Girls' Parochial 
School was provided. The girls remained in this 
building till 1877, when they moved into more 
commodious quarters on North Capitol and Myrtle 
Streets. Shortly before this change of location, the 
Notre Dame Sisters came to teach, and they have 
ever since been in charge. The Ladies of Charity, 
with Mrs. General William T. Sherman at their 
head, put up a building on the site of the present 
convent of Notre Dame on North Capitol Street, 
intending to use it as an Assembly Hall for their 
meetings and entertainments. Before completing 
payment on the building, they offered it to the 
Sisters of Notre Dame, on condition that they 
assume responsibility for the rest of the debt. Three 
Sisters came from Cincinnati to make the founda- 
tion, lived in this building, going back and forth 
each day to teach on First Street till 1877, when the 
school adjoining their property on North Capitol 
and Myrtle Streets was ready for occupancy. 

The boys remained only a short while in the 
church basement after their return from the Douglas 
property in 1861. They soon moved to the old 
school on I Street N. E., close to the banks of the 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 287 

Tiber, and the building still stands, a venerable 
relic now used as a garage. Here for the space of 
forty years, from 1863 to 1903, the growing boys of 
the parish were trained, taught and hammered into 
shaped by efficient lay-teachers, like Mr. Simon 
Fennell, Mr. Thomas A. Rover, the two Griffiths, 
James and Fred, the two McNamaras, Misses 
Mary and Catherine, Miss Annie Smith, Miss Mary 
Allen, the two Brosnans, Misses Catherine and 
Elizabeth, Miss Nora Brosnahan, Miss Catherine 
Mulquin, Miss Catherine Walsh, and others too 
numerous to mention. In the latter year, 1903, the 
present Gonzaga School for boys was erected on 
North Capitol Street, next to the Church, the 
Sisters of Mercy assuming care of the boys, and 
remaining in charge till 1915, when they yielded 
place to the Sisters of Notre Dame. Since 1915 
boys and girls have been cared for by the Sisters of 
Notre Dame, and this centennial year of Gonzaga 
finds teachers and pupils at last in commodious and 
splendidly equipped homes. 

With this slight digression, we can now return to 
Rev. Fr. Conniff's narrative of the two historic 
Drives he inaugurated in connection with the Girls' 
New School. He goes on to say that the old school 
on North Capitol and Myrtle Streets had for years 
proved inadequate. It was too small, and afforded too 
little light and air for the number of children crowded 
within its walls. The debt on St. Aloysius' Church 
was too large to suffer addition, and so it was decided 
to have a whirlwind campaign to raise the necessary 
funds. It was estimated that the school would 
cost at least a hundred thousand dollars, and that 



288 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

was the goal set for the campaign, which was placed 
under the direction of Mr. Charles Jerome Sheffield, 
of Cleveland, Ohio. All this happened before the 
days of the billions of dollars raised in Liberty Loans, 
and $100,000 loomed large as an impossibility. The 
cause, however, was a good one, the cause of Catholic 
education, and God's blessing was on the work. 
In ten days of February, 1917, the desired sum was 
subscribed. His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, was 
present in the Hall one night, to encourage the 
workers, men and women, who in all sorts of weather 
carried on the work of the campaign. Thirteen 
months were allowed for the payment of the pledges ; 
and by the end of that time the rise in prices of both 
material and labor, and, later on, the entrance of 
our country into the World War made it impossible 
to begin the new school. After the war, prices went 
even higher; and, as in the judgment of experts they 
were likely to remain high for some years, no good 
was to be gained by waiting. The building would 
now cost double what was first estimated, and the 
only way open was another campaign. Nobody 
relished the thought of a second campaign, least of 
all those who had worked hardest in the first. Besides, 
the many drives during the war made people tired 
of the very name, and the high cost of living found a 
place for every penny. On the other hand, it was 
either another campaign or no school for many 
years to come; and at a mass-meeting of the parish- 
ioners it was decided to have another campaign. 
This decision was made in June of 1919. The cam- 
paign took place in December, from the third to the 
thirteenth of the month. The campaign decided 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 289 

upon, the contract for the shell of the building was 
let, with the option of closing the contract for the 
remainder at a fixed price, to which the contractors 
bound themselves till February. The same cam- 
paign director, Mr. Charles Jerome Sheffield, was 
secured, and many of the original workers with some 
new ones volunteered. As in the first campaign, 
luncheon was served each night under the able 
direction of Fr. Kelly, Moderator of the Schools, 
with a band of devoted young ladies. 

In the first campaign thirty teams, with some 
eight or ten members on each were formed. In 
the second campaign the director decided to have 
sixteen teams of ten each, eight teams to be com- 
posed of men, and the other eight to be composed of 
women. The same generous self-sacrifice as before 
was in evidence, the same indomitable courage, the 
same warm faith, the same unity. The ground for 
the New School, Notre Dame Academy, was broken 
on July 2, the feast of the Visitation of Our Blessed 
Lady. The first day of the campaign was the feast 
of St. Francis Xavier, and the devotion of our 
people to him is manifest from their attendance at 
his annual No vena of Grace. The fifth day of the 
campaign was the feast of the Immaculate Concep- 
tion of our Blessed Lady, and at midnight the 
Church bells announced the fact that the goal set 
had been reached, $100,000. The remaining five 
days of the campaign were spent gathering the surplus 
needed to defray the expenses of the campaign, to 
furnish the building, and to make good any possible 
failure on the part of some few to make good their 
pledges. Of the $100,000 pledged in the first cam- 



290 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

paign, $92,500 had been paid in. At the end of the 
second campaign the sum of $135,000 and more 
was reached, and the city was again astonished at the 
achievement of St. Aloysius' parish. The bulk of 
the money in both campaigns was subscribed by 
parishioners, and earned after it had been subscribed. 
Some was given by business men, some by former 
parishioners and some by friends in various parts 
of the city. "The Little Flower," Teresa of Jesus 
the Carmelite Nun, who near the end of her saintly 
life said that she would spend her time in Heaven 
doing good on earth, was appealed to for aid in the 
campaign. Her picture and a prayer in her honor 
on a little card were circulated by the thousand 
among the school children and others, and The 
Little Flower, no doubt, obtained the wonderful 
success. His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons again 
encouraged the workers by his presence on the last 
night of the campaign. On the next day, which was 
Sunday, December 14, the corner stone of the new 
building was laid by His Eminence, assisted by 
Very Rev. Joseph H. Rockwell, S. J., Provincial of 
the Maryland-New York Province, and by many 
other clergymen. Adjourning to Gonzaga Theatre, 
an address was delivered by Senator David I. 
Walsh, ex-Governor of Massachusetts, and the 
crowd more than filled the Hall. Cardinal Gibbons 
also delivered a stirring address to the assembled 
throng, congratulating the workers and contributors 
and dwelling on the importance of Catholic educa- 
tion, especially that of young women. Amid many 
difficulties, due to labor and material, the work of 
the building went steadily on, and in September, 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 293 

1920, its doors were thrown open to the girls and 
their devoted teachers, the good Sisters of Notre 
Dame, who had patiently waited and prayed so 
many years for this much needed new school. The 
school is large, well lighted and well heated, modern 
and up-to-date. It stands on the corner of North 
Capitol and K Streets, extending along K Street, 
and adjoining the Boys' School at the corner of 
North Capitol. It is an ornament to this part of 
the city and a lasting monument to the self-sacrifice, 
piety, generosity and good sense of the people of 
St. Aloysius' parish and their friends. They seem to 
be none the worse off for their generosity. In 
many cases their salaries have been notably increased. 
Others have learned to save. The work of education 
will be a perennial blessing for all concerned in the 
erection of this new school, and the contributors 
will be ever kept gratefully in the prayers of the 
pupils, of the good Sisters, and of the Fathers of 
St. Aloysius' Church. Rev. Fr. Conniff concludes 
his narrative with these words: "We should like 
to make mention of those who particularly dis- 
tinguished themselves in these campaigns, but their 
number deters us. Their names appear among the 
most generous contributors, and will figure on the 
tablets to be erected in the lobby of the school. 
Moreover, they look for no special publicity. They 
did their work for God, and they did it well, and 
God will reward them in the present life and especially 
in eternity." 

With this needed interruption we now take up 
again the thread of our story. On September 13, 
1920, Gonzaga opened with a registration of 154 



294 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

students. Prior to the beginning of classes a change 
in the teaching staff sent Father John J. O'Connor 
to Chaptico, Maryland, for mission work, and 
made Father Henry A. Leary, Prefect of Discipline. 
On the same day, September 13, the New School 
for Girls welcomed 564 pupils, while the Boys' 
School numbered 348. A week later, on September 
20, Mass of the Holy Ghost was sung in the Church 
in presence of all the college-students and children 
of the parish schools. Father Condon preached 
on the occasion, and in a stirring and instructive 
sermon urged his listeners to appreciate the rare 
worth of a Catholic education, and cooperate with 
the graces prayed down upon their labors at Holy 
Mass. Within the week numbers at the college had 
grown to 173; at the Girls' School, to 617; and at the 
Boys' School, to 417. This year it was decided 
despite their popularity to discontinue the evening 
courses. The Knights of Columbus having planned 
a most extensive course of evening studies, elemen- 
tary and advanced, it was thought better to leave 
the field open to them by withdrawing at least 
temporarily from this branch of educational endeavor. 
On October 2, Archbishop Marchetti, formerly 
Auditor at the Legation, paid a visit to Gonzaga, 
after an absence of fifteen years from Washington. 
Father John J. Thompkins, S. J., home from Manila 
after years of missionary labor in that distant field, 
spoke at all the Masses on Sunday, October 10. 
His subject was, "The Needs of the Philippines," 
and his words awakened enthusiasm in the hearts of 
his hearers. Father Michael A. Purtell, S. J., of 
Loyola College, Baltimore, reopened in the Lower 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 295 

Church his Sunday-school for the Deaf Mutes of the 
city. The Annual Retreat for the college students 
filled the interval between October 26 and October 
29. Father Henry A. Leary conducted the exercises. 

On November 21, a Month's Mind Mass was said 
in the church for the repose of the soul of Terence 
MacSwiney, late Lord Mayor of Dublin. 

Thanksgiving Day, November 25, witnessed the 
solemn dedication of the Girls' New School, and 
was a most impressive ceremony. The procession 
started from the College-entrance at 3.15, a detach- 
ment of Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus leading 
the way. Then followed the Gonzaga College Band, 
the Gonzaga Cadets, the Aloysius Club, the Chancel 
Choir, the Sanctuary Society, the Clergy and more 
Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus. His Eminence 
Cardinal Gibbons closed the line, with Very Rev. 
Father Rockwell and Rev. Father Connirl for deacons 
of honor. The services at the school finished, the 
procession retraced its steps to the Church, where 
the Te Deum was sung, and Benediction of the 
Blessed Sacrament was given by Rev. Fr. Rockwell. 
It is noteworthy that this was one of the last public 
functions at which His Eminence the Cardinal 
assisted. He showed signs of weakness during the 
exercises, and was unable to accompany the proces- 
sion on its way back to the church, although he 
afterwards assisted at Benediction. This same even- 
ing, November 25, in Gonzaga Hall, Father Charles 
M. de Heredia, S. J., of Holy Cross College, Worces- 
ter, Mass., treated the people of Washington to a 
most thorough and convincing exposure of the 
trickery and fraud resorted to by spiritualistic media 



296 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

in their seances. The hall was crowded with inter- 
ested listeners. His Excellency, Archbishop Bon- 
zano, Apostolic Delegate, and all his household were 
present, and about one hundred priests attended the 
lecture. Next morning the local papers were full 
of the affair, and for days after the startling revela- 
tions excited widespread attention. 

The Dramatic Society of the College chose for 
presentation this year Shakespeare's ''Merchant of 
Venice," and scored a most decided success. Decem- 
ber 20 was the night set apart for its rendition, and 
the young actors won on all sides the discerning 
praise of competent dramatic critics. Their trainer, 
Mr. Robert T. Smith, S. J., himself an old-time col- 
lege star, succeeded in developing the most capable 
cast seen at Gonzaga in many years. By way of 
prelude to the Christmas holidays, the boys and 
girls of the parochial schools staged an entertain- 
ment for their relatives and friends on December 22, 
at four in the afternoon. The boys presented three 
Tableaux, the girls four, and everybody present 
highly enjoyed the affair. Father Timothy B. 
Barrett of Woodstock preached at the closing 
exercises of the year. 

Under the efficient direction of Father William 
J. Brooks, an alumnus of Gonzaga and for the last 
ten years the popular and devoted Prefect of St. 
Aloysius' Church, the year 1921 opened in the church 
with Missions for the men and women in the parish, 
conducted by Fathers Joseph P. Green, Joseph P. 
Daley and Hugh J. McNulty. January 2, saw the 
beginning of Women's Week, and January 16, marked 
the close of Men's week. The fruits attaching to 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 297 

these two weeks of grace and fervor were most 
abundant. On January 20, the members and guests 
of the Women's Literary Guild heard from Fr. 
John J. Thompkins a most instructive lecture on 
"The Far Philippines." The Patronal Feast of 
Rev. Father Rector, January 25, was kept in Gonzaga 
Hall with becoming literary exercises by the Faculty 
and students. On the Wednesday evenings of 
Lent Father John F. X. Murphy of Georgetown 
University preached a series of five sermons, with 
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for subject. On the 
Sundays of Lent at High Mass, Father Francis R. 
Donovan of Georgetown preached a second course of 
sermons with the Christian Life for topic. On 
March 2 in Gonzaga Hall a sacred concert was given 
by St. Aloysius' Male Choir of sixty voices with 
orchestral accompaniment under the able direction 
of Mr. Glenn W. Ashley. Many Gonzaga boys, 
young and older, are in this choir. The entire choir 
gives its services to the church entirely free and the 
parish is rightly proud of such devotedness. The 
concert was worthy of the past achievements of the 
choir. The No vena of Grace, immediately preceding 
March 12, witnessed this year an unparalleled dis- 
play of fervor in the parish. Ten thousand people 
followed the exercises, and during its progress 
14,500 Communions were distributed. On Holy 
Thursday, March 24, Father Francis P. LeBufle of 
Fordham University preached the sermon. On Good 
Friday, Father Edward J. Sweeney conducted the 
Three Hours, and preached. Father Richard H. 
Tierney of the periodical "America" was the preacher 
on Easter Sunday. On April 6, a Solemn Mass of 



298 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Requiem was sung in the church for the repose of 
the soul of His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons lately 
deceased, and the church was crowded to the doors 
with worshippers intent on honoring the memory of 
this great and good man. The parish of St. Aloysius 
had been the recipient of many favors at his hands, 
and this outpouring of its people was but another 
display of gratitude for his multiplied kindnesses, 
and another manifestation of esteem for his exalted 
character. During all the long years he administered 
the vast archdiocese of Baltimore he spared himself 
no pains to further the interests of St. Aloysius' and 
Gonzaga, lending his presence to solemn functions 
in church and college, and encouraging every move- 
ment set on foot for the advancement of both. May 
his soul rest in peace. Amen. 

Between April 25 and May 1, Father Vincent G. 
Cleary, O. P., preached a retreat in the church to 
Knights of Columbus. The Open Shop was the 
subject chosen by the Phocion Society of the college 
for its annual debate on April 29 and the forensic 
skill displayed by the contestants won them rounds 
of applause. The judges on the occasion were 
Fathers Peter Archer, John F. X. Murphy and 
John J. Toohey, all of Georgetown University. 
On May 2, Gonzaga graduates of the past seven 
years tendered a banquet to their teacher, Father 
Edward J. Sweeney at the New Ebbitt Hotel. It 
was a most enjoyable affair, the meal being inter- 
spersed with music, songs and speeches. Mr. J. 
Eugene Gallery was toastmaster, Rev. Father Conniff 
spoke, and Father Davey and several others. While 
emphasizing the esteem of the pupils for their worthy 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 299 

teacher, it served to strengthen the bonds of friend- 
ship between the graduates and their Alma Mater. 
At the Annual Elocution Contest on May 6, in 
Gonzaga Hall, the audience was treated to a finished 
rendition of selected pieces. Every speaker was at 
his best, and the selections chosen for delivery were 
numerous and of the highest type. Gonzaga was 
now nearing its hundredth year mark, and earl)' in 
May talk of the centennial celebration set for Novem- 
ber, 1921, was afloat. The old boys entered heartily 
into the thing, and by way of preparation for the 
event inaugurated a series of smoke-talks and get- 
together-meetings. One such was scheduled for 
May 10, and it went far towards making the cen- 
tennial the grand success it proved to be. Alumni 
to the number of 300 met that evening at the college, 
and left the entertainment prepared for them full 
of enthusiasm. The committee in charge of the 
smoker featured a vaudeville show and several 
boxing bouts, with songs from the Aloysius Quartette. 
Rev. Father Conniff, Father Davey and Mr. Francis 
T. Hurley made short speeches. In furtherance of 
the same purpose a reunion of the Alumni was held 
on May 25, and gave new impetus to the contem- 
plated celebration of Gonzaga's hundredth birthday. 
The usual May Procession was held in the church on 
May 15, and Father John T. Langan of Woodstock 
preached. On May 26, the Gonzaga College Cadets, 
accompanied by Rev. Father Conniff, Father Kelly 
and Father Fink, attended the funeral of Corporal 
Hiram F. Cash and Private Vincent P. Costello 
from the Monument Grounds. Private Costello 
had been a former Third Sunday Man. In the 



300 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

presence of a large multitude, including many digni- 
taries of Church and State, Solemn High Mass was 
sung by Rev. Eugene A. Hannan, an alumnus of 
Gonzaga, and pastor of St. Martin's Church. The 
Mass was said for all the soldiers of the District of 
Columbia, who died during the war. 

June 17, 1921, must forever be a memorable day 
in the annals of Gonzaga. It marks the hundredth 
Commencement of this institution, in spite of the 
fact that Gonzaga began to be a college in the strict 
sense of the term as late as 1858. What had been 
established as Washington Seminary in 1821, was 
chartered by Congress in 1858 to confer college de- 
grees; and the change far from canceled Gonzaga 's 
thirty-seven years of previous existence. Most Rev. 
John Bonzano D. D., presided at the exercises and 
Rear Admiral William S. Benson, U. S. N., delivered 
the address to the graduates, thirty in number. 
The Admiral himself was a conspicuous personage in 
the World War just closed, being virtual head of the 
United States Navy during the war's entire progress. 
A convert to our Faith, he is all zeal for its spread 
and growth in our country, and never misses an 
opportunity in private or in public to preach its 
divine origin and divine worth. He is a born leader 
of men, whether on sea or on land, and to the fervor 
of an apostle he adds the indomitable energy and 
persevering courage of a fighter. God and country 
are inseparable in his thoughts, and on this occasion 
he urged the graduates with his best eloquence to 
stand manfully to duty as Catholic citizens of the 
United States, worshipping the patriotism inspired 
by God and religion as the highest of virtues. Honest 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 301 

pride in their own splendid republic must influence 
them to fight to the death for her rights, and live to 
add to her glory, while love of God and reverence for 
religion must compel them to cherish a sympathetic 
regard for the rights of others. 

On June 22, Brother Jeremiah Flaherty, S. J., 
kept the Golden Jubilee of his entrance into religion. 
The day's exercises began with Holy Mass in the 
Church, at which all the members of the Community 
and a goodly number of the parishioners assisted. 
All day long visitors poured into the college to offer 
their congratulations to the good Brother. At 
midday he sat down to a banquet, surrounded by 
well-wishers and partners in his early labors from 
near and distant Jesuit houses. Brother Flaherty 
deserved all the attention lavished on him, being a 
model religious in every respect. Born in County 
Cork, Ireland, August 25, 1842, he came with his 
parents to Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1850. When 29 
years of age he entered the novitiate at Sault Recollet, 
Canada, in 1871. The fifty years between 1871 and 
1921 were years of devoted service and universal 
edification, spent in different houses of the Society 
of Jesus, Fordham University, New York, claiming 
thirty-four years of his busy life, and during most of 
that long period he presided over the bake-shop. 
He was the inventor of the famous Fordham Bun, 
dispensed every afternoon at four to the hungry 
students, and many an old Fordhamite in near 
and far corners of the world will best recollect 
him in this capacity. Though nearly eighty Brother 
Flaherty is still hale and hearty, fit and ready 
for other years of useful labor; and with all his 



302 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

friends we pray him continued good health and 
happiness. 

The Patronal Feast of the church was kept on 
June 26, when Father Matthew L. Fortier preached 
the panegyric. On June 30, four of the new Jesuit 
priests recently ordained at Georgetown University 
said their First Mass at Gonzaga, and dispensed their 
first blessing to delighted relatives and friends. 
They were Father William C. Repetti of Washington, 
D. C., Father Francis L. Archdeacon and Father 
William G. Logue of Boston, Mass., and Father 
Walter G. Summers of Brooklyn, N. Y. 

The list of officers and faculty for 1921-1922 was 
posted at the college on July 21. On July 31, the 
Feast of St. Ignatius was kept in church and college 
with due solemnity, Father Joseph A. Mulry of 
Woodstock, preaching the panegyric. On the same 
day public announcement was made of a letter from 
Very Rev. Father Ledochowski, General of the 
Jesuits, decreeing a partition of the Maryland-New 
York Province of the Society. Henceforth the six 
New England States are to constitute the New Eng- 
land Province, while the Maryland-New York Prov- 
ince will be made up of New York, New Jersey, Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland and the District of Columbia. 

1921 

The officers and faculty of Gonzaga at the close of 
its Centennial year comprised the following: Rev. 
Father Paul R. Conniff, Rector; Father George E. 
Kelly, Minister; Father William J. Tynan, Chaplain; 
Father J. Charles Davey, Prefect of Studies; Father 
David J. Roche, Prefect of Discipline; Fathers 




JEREMIAH FLAHERTY, S.J. BBO.MICHAELHABERMANN.S.J. BRO.JOHH J.MSSHEA.S.J. BRO.JOHN J.O'CONNELL.S.J. 



Gonzaga Community, 1921-1922 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 305 

William J. Brooks, John E. Condon, Joseph I. Fink, 
Edward F. Gallagher and John B. Pittar, Parish- 
priests; Fathers Edward J. Sweeney and Henry J. 
Hagen with Messrs. Robert L. Ryan, Robert T. 
Smith, John F. Treubig and Edward J. Kenna, 
Teachers. On these men, Fathers and Scholastics 
alike, rested the burden of the Jubilee Celebration 
set for November, and now rapidly approaching. 
All went to work with a will, and preparations for 
the historic event were soon well under way. The 
enthusiasm and energetic endeavor of the men in 
charge proved contagious, and the work done before 
classes were resumed in September made the under- 
taking an assured success from the start. Under 
the inspiration and guidance of Rev. Father Conniff, 
every detail down to the minutest was mapped with 
the greatest accuracy and judgment by Father J. 
Charles Davey, to whom had been entrusted the 
planning and management of the entire Centennial 
Celebration; and when the Great Week arrived, 
not a thing went amiss, all moved towards a splendid 
finish with the smoothness and precision of a perfect 
machine. It was a business of colossal dimensions, 
and its issue must forever stand a tribute to the 
managerial ability of its promoters. The exercises 
were about evenly divided between the college and 
the church. Services in the church were most 
elaborate, and the sanctuary of St. Aloysius, accus- 
tomed in its long history to scenes of ceremonial 
splendor, was thronged throughout the feast with 
distinguished prelates, Church dignitaries and priests 
from far and near; while the pews were crowded 
with Catholic laymen prominent in every walk of 



306 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

life, civic, professional and industrial. Play-Night, 
November 15, witnessed a rendition of Macbeth, 
worthy in every way of the professional stage, 
reflecting new credit on the dramatic ability of 
present day students at Gonzaga and on the sur- 
passing art of their coach and trainer, Mr. Robert 
T. Smith, S. J. The stage of the college theater 
gathered together on Academic Night, November 
16, a body of gentlemen enjoying a nation-wide 
reputation for devotion to Church and country, 
candidates for the degrees conferred on them by an 
admiring and proud mother. The Banquet at 
Wardman Park Hotel under the management of the 
Alumni brought the holiday to a fitting close on 
November 17; and it must go down in history as a 
record-breaking affair because of the numerous and 
distinguished guests present, and because of the 
array of after-dinner speakers it presented. Every- 
where in the course of the celebration there was an 
abundance of oratory with a wealth of poetry, and 
it must be acknowledged that the orators and poets 
in large measure borrowed their eloquence and their 
inspiration from Rev. Father Conniff and Father 
Davey, the moving spirits of the whole affair, and 
from their able assistants among the faculty, the 
alumni and well wishers in general of Catholic educa- 
tion. Honor to whom honor is due, and interested 
readers will find at the end of this volume a detailed 
account of Gonzaga's Centennial Jubilee Celebration, 
reprinted verbatim from the Monthly Bulletin of 
St. Aloysius' Church and Gonzaga College for 
January, 1922. 

Early in August, 1921, Father George E. Kelly 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 307 

went to New York to preach a Retreat, and on 
August 20, word came that he was violently ill of 
appendicitis in St. Vincent's Hospital. Four days 
later a successful operation was performed, and on 
August 26, a very decided improvement in his con- 
dition was reported. Prayers for his speedy re- 
covery were asked at all the Masses on Sunday, 
August 28, and from that date he grew steadily 
better. Eventually he returned to Gonzaga in a 
weakened condition, and it was the middle of Novem- 
ber before he was able to resume his duties as Father 
Minister and Director of the Parochial Schools. 
The year of 1921 was emphatically a year of jubilees 
at Gonzaga. Good Brother Flaherty kept the 
fiftieth anniversary of his entrance into the Society 
of Jesus on June 22; and on September 8, Father 
William J. Tynan summoned his friends from all 
sides to do with him the homage of thanksgiving to 
God for the rare privilege of spending fifty fruitful 
years in the Master's service. By a happy co- 
incidence the same year, 1871, witnessed Old Gon- 
zaga 's change of location from F Street to I Street 
and Father Tynan's departure from Washington to 
Frederick, Maryland, for entrance into the novitiate. 
His studies completed, he was ordained a priest in 
1886 and spent a great part of his laborious life on 
the missions in lower Maryland. With some few 
intervals of change, St. Thomas' Manor, on the shores 
of the Potomac, was regularly the scene of his 
priestly activities, and for result his name will be 
forever held in benediction, and his achievements 
will rank with those of the early pioneers of religion 
in southern Maryland. For the past seven years he 



308 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

has been in active service at Gonzaga as Chaplain 
to the college and worker in the parish. In 1899, 
during the interregnum between the administrations 
of Father Galligan and Father Fink, he guided the 
destinies of Gonzaga for a short while in the capacity 
of Vice-Rector, and had much to do with the renova- 
tion and decoration of the church, accomplished by- 
Brother Francis C. Schroen, S. J. Gonzaga is like- 
wise indebted to Father Tynan's generosity and to 
that of his family for the magnificent hall adjoining 
the new college building. He kept his jubilee in a 
modest and homelike way. He said Mass in the 
church early in the morning, and to do him honor a 
goodly number of the people assisted. Later in the 
day a banquet was set, and seventy of his friends 
sat down with him to table. Eulogies of the vener- 
able Jubilarian followed, and he closes the event 
with an eloquent speech, in which, true to his reputa- 
tion for humility, he diverted attention from the 
hero of the occasion to sing the praises of followers 
in his footsteps among the old and new boys of 
Gonzaga. To paraphrase old Horace, may the date 
of his entrance into Heaven be delayed a long series 
of years, because the world needs men of his size 
and stamp, and the inhabitants of Heaven will miss 
him less than the students at Gonzaga and the 
parishioners of St. Aloysius'. 

The College opened this year of 1921 on September 
12, and the registrar recorded 188 pupils. This 
same day classes were resumed in the two parochial 
schools for boys and girls, and both showed a cor- 
respondingly gratifying increase in number. The 
boys in attendance were 365; the girls 589. A week 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 309 

later, on September 19, Mass of the Holy Ghost, 
with Rev. Father Conniff for celebrant and preacher, 
was sung, and 1300 students crowded the church 
from altar-rail to door. By this time numbers had 
mounted to 225 in the college, to 408 in the Boys' 
School, and to 642 in the Girls' School. Between 
October 5, and October 8, the college students 
followed the exercises of a retreat conducted by 
Father Michael F. Fitzpatrick of St. Peter's College, 
Jersey City, New Jersey. 

Little of special interest occurred at the college 
between the close of the retreat and the opening of 
the exercises commemorative of Gonzaga's First 
Centenary on November 13, 1921. We append a 
detailed account of the church-services and academic 
exercises covering the five entire days devoted to 
the event, and a glance at the list of functions 
enacted can satisfy the most indifferent reader that 
the work of organizing and arranging the display 
was a business of colossal proportions, and that the 
principals in the undertaking deserve highly of 
Gonzaga and of Catholic education in general. One 
cannot contemplate the long list of notables in 
Church and State taking part in the solemn cere- 
mony without feeling intimately persuaded of its 
grandeur and magnificence. The Officers and Fac- 
ulty of Gonzaga are all thanks for the cooperation 
tendered by friends and admirers among clergy and 
laity, and they go back to work after this holiday 
of triumph more determined than ever to emulate 
the labors of their illustrious predecessors at the 
college. Nobody was more impressed than them- 
selves by the splendid manifestation of faith and 



3 1 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

zeal for the promotion of Catholic education dis- 
played on all sides; and memory of the occasion 
must abide with them forever to urge them towards 
new and mighty endeavor in the pursuit of their 
apostolic and educational calling. The high hopes 
held out for Gonzaga 's future by some of the speakers 
shall be fulfilled, and the prophecies made by others 
regarding the years of prosperity to follow shall be 
accomplished. Parents in the parish, and parents 
throughout the city, encouraged by the inspiring 
spectacle, and aroused to due appreciation of the 
advantages attaching to higher education, must feel 
compelled to secure for their sons the opportunities 
at their very doors, and send them in increasing 
numbers to Gonzaga, now crowned with the glories 
of a hundred years. And present day pupils at the 
old college, awake to the surpassing privilege, put 
in their way by a kind Providence, must exert all 
their energy and all their native ability to leave her 
walls finished scholars and consummate saints, 
a credit to themselves, their Alma Mater, their 
parents, and friends concerned in their welfare. 
Vivat, floreat, crescat Gonzaga! Long live Gonzaga; 
may she forever grow and flourish; and in the years 
to follow may she produce results worthy of the 
heroes who went before! 



{Reprint from the Monthly Bulletin of St. Aloysius' Church and 
Gonzaga College for January, 1921) 

GONZAGA'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 

FOLLOWING the lot of all things terrestrial, 
Gonzaga 's Centennial Celebration has come 
and gone but the remembrance of that splendid 
five-day commemoration will linger long in memory 
as an epochal event in the history of the College. 
Throughout the celebration weather conditions for 
the most part were practically ideal and aside from 
one or two changes, due to the sudden illness of 
some of the officials of the church services, the 
program was carried out as originally planned. 
Seldom if ever has so distinguished an assembly 
been gathered within the precincts of the Church 
and College as was present during the Centenary. 
The highest dignitaries in Church and State, either 
in person or by letter and telegram, manifested in a 
striking manner their good will for Gonzaga on her 
hundredth anniversary. From the August Head of 
Christendom, the Holy Father, Benedict XV, came 
a remarkable letter breathing appreciation, affec- 
tion and Godspeed. His chosen representative in 
the United States, the amiable, beloved and zealous 
Archbishop Bonzano, graced the occasion by his 
benign presence. The well loved Rector of the 
Catholic University, the Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Shahan, 
D. D., also added materially to the debt of gratitude 
already owed him by Gonzaga, not only by honoring 
the celebration with his presence but by pontificating 
on Sunday and especially on Monday when the 

311 



3 1 2 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

indisposition of Bishop Corrigan prevented that 
prelate from officiating. The distinguished Bishop 
of Richmond, the Rt. Rev. Denis J. O'Connell, D.D., 
always a staunch friend of Gonzaga, cheerfully 
underwent the tedious journey to Washington in 
order to preside at the Academic Exercises and add 
luster to one of the most brilliant events of the 
centennial celebration. Treasured indeed were the 
paternal benediction and affectionate message re- 
ceived from our Very Rev. Father General as well 
as the beautiful and consoling letter of congratula- 
tions received from our American assistant in Rome, 
Very Rev. Joseph F. Hanselman, S. J. 

Monsignori, rectors, curates, representatives of 
the various religious orders, Jesuits from all parts 
of the Maryland-New York Province — all lent their 
presence to the several functions in the Church and 
the College auditorium and as far as their engage- 
ments permitted, remained for the entire five-day 
program. Similarly honored by distinguished lay- 
men, Gonzaga received a cordial message of good 
will from His Excellency, the President of the 
United States, from members of the diplomatic 
corps, from the Judiciary and from Senators and 
members of Congress. Both these branches of 
Government were well represented at the Centenary, 
outstanding figures being Senator William M. Calder, 
Senator David I. Walsh, the Hon. W. Bourke 
Cockran, Hon. Chas. F. X. O'Brien and Hon. James 
O'Connor. Another illustrious layman who came 
to honor Gonzaga by his presence was the sterling 
Catholic, Admiral William Shepherd Benson. The 
Judiciary too lent special honor to Gonzaga's cele- 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 3 1 3 

bration by sending some of its most distinguished 
sons, notable among them being Chief Justice 
Constantine J. Smyth, Justice Wendell Phillips 
Stafford, Justice Van Orsdel, Justice Robb, Justice 
Bailey, Justice Frederick L. Siddons. And the 
Alumni and old students — how loyally they answered 
the call of Alma Mater was shown by the throng 
that gathered for Monday night's Smoker and 
Thursday night's closing Banquet. From all quarters 
they came, even distant Oklahoma sending one of 
its ablest and most honored sons in the person of 
James P. Ryder, '96. 

Words can hardly express the beauty of the 
decorations. Suffice it to say that the beautiful 
Altar of St. Aloysius' Church never looked better, 
the College exterior, corridors and auditorium never 
more attractive than during the days of the Centen- 
nial. Perhaps the most admired feature were the 
four inscriptions commemorating the Gonzaga men 
who fought and fell in the four great wars of the 
United States. These inscriptions, which had been 
beautifully illuminated and painted by the good 
Sisters of Notre Dame, were mounted on decorated 
canvases and graced the walls of the Auditorium 
during the Centenary. 

The souvenir program issued in connection with 
the Centennial elicited general admiration. Printed 
on heavy white paper in large, clear type with 
handsome cover design in purple and white — the 
College colors — and containing, besides, an interest- 
ing summary of the College history, photographs of 
the College officials, a group picture of the Faculty 
and the detailed program of each day's events, it 



314 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

was eagerly sought for, the rapid sale necessitating 
the printing of a large number of extra copies. 
The handsome bronze medal struck in commemora- 
tion of the Centenary excited general admiration. 

Although the limits of space forbid detailed com- 
ment on the various features of the Centennial 
program, we feel that mention should be made of the 
splendid music rendered during the various church 
services, due in large measure to the artistic and 
efficient direction of Mr. Glenn W. Ashley and the 
presence in the choir of devoted and gifted vocalists. 
It is hard to see how the music and singing could 
have been improved upon. 

We reproduce herewith the invitation to the Cen- 
tennial Exercises, which was generally admired for 
its combination of simplicity, elegance and cordiality: 

GONZAGA COLLEGE 

1821 1921 

The pioneer institution for the higher education 
of day-students in the District of Columbia 
and the second oldest Jesuit College in 
the United States of America wish- 
ing to share the gladness of her 

CENTENNIAL YEAR 

with her friends and loyal sons, counts you among 
that cherished company, and cordially invites you 
to attend the five-day celebration of her 

HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY 

November 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 
Nineteen hundred and twenty-one 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 3 1 5 

DETAILED PROGRAM OF THE 
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 

Sunday, November 13, to Thursday, November 17, 1921 



SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13 
Pontifical High Mass at 11.00 A. M. 

Presiding His Excellency, Most Rev. John 

Bonzano, D.D., Apostolic Delegate. 
Assistant Priest Very Rev. Joseph H. Rockwell, S. J. 

Deacons of Honor j Rev - William J. Tynan, S. J., 

IRev. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, S. J. 

Celebrant Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Shahan, D. D. 

Assistant Priest Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J. 

Deacons of Honor / Ver y Rev - Daniel J- Kennedy, O. P. 

IRev. Timothy B. Barrett, S. J. 

Deacon Rev. William J. Brooks, S. J. 

Sub-Deacon Rev. John P. Meagher, S. J. 

1st Master of Ceremonies . Rev. Edward J. Sweeney, S. J. 
2d Master of Ceremonies.. Mr. Edward J. Kenna, S. J. 
Preacher Rev. Owen A. Hill, S. J. 

The Sermon 

"They that instruct many to Justice, shall shine as stars for all 
eternity." — Dan. 12; 3. 

Gonzaga College has waited a hundred years for this day of 
triumph, and in spite of her age, she celebrates the festive occa- 
sion with all the enthusiasm of youth. She is not a hundred 
years old, she is a hundred years young, and time has not 
weakened her forces or dampened her ardor. With a hundred 
busy and fruitful years at her back, she looks forward with 
hopeful and earnest eyes to another hundred and another 
thousand awaiting her in front. The church God in person 
established is destined some day to stand at the top of the 
universe and watch a world crumble to ruins. Human institu- 
tions like Gonzaga, with mere men for founders, with God 
and God's greater glory for inspiration, imitate in point of 



3 1 6 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

endurance the Church of God, and derive small or no harm 
from the ravages of time. God, indeed, has nowhere promised 
them the splendid attribute of indefectibility He promises 
His Church, and they can disappear without lasting and 
universal detriment to the spiritual interests of mankind. 
They are but scattered and individual supply-depots of divine 
truth; and while they can cease to exist, the granary of divine 
truth, its central supply-depot, the Catholic Church herself, 
can never die, or close her doors, or go out of business even 
temporarily. Other distinctively human institutions, with 
enemies of God for founders, with infidelity, irreligion or world- 
liness for inspiration, will last only as long as God sees fit to 
allow them to try the patience of the elect and tempt wise 
fools to perdition. 

But Gonzaga is more than a mere institution. She is a most 
venerable person, inasmuch as she stands for a long line of 
heroes, made up of her professors and pupils, past as well as 
present. Within her walls hundreds of professors and thousands 
of pupils have lived, and labored, and died, to live anew and 
forever in God's further world of miracle and glory. Since 1821 
and down to the present hour, men, their minds heavy with the 
lore of the ages and with the wisdom of God, have met, and 
trained, and shaped hosts of growing boys, who thronged her 
portals for an education, and left them giants of learning, 
saints in the eyes of God, and irreproachable citizens in the 
eyes of their neighbors. And if this assemblage of saints and 
scholars, sons of Gonzaga, could be summoned from the past to 
tarry an hour this morning in our company, what a ravishing 
spectacle would the}^ present to our vision, and what emotions 
of enthusiasm would they stir in our bosoms! Take a glance 
at that splendid array of illustrious teachers, take another at 
that band of worthy students. We name no names, to avoid 
all suspicion of making envious distinctions and odious com- 
parisons. All is said when we remark that to a man these 
teachers of new and old Gonzaga were heroes, and that their 
pupils were heroes' sons worthy of their fathers. They were 
heroes in the cause of Catholic education, and the world knows 
no grander or sublimer, the one cause in all history that appealed 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 3 1 7 

to the sympathies of God Himself, inducing Him to leave His 
throne in Heaven, descend to earth, and inaugurate the educa- 
tional revolution that changed paganism to Christianity, 
barbarism to civilization, and the philosophy of Aristotle to the 
divinity of St. Thomas Aquinas. The Lord Christ was stand- 
ard-bearer in this revolution, the apostles were His confederates 
in the undertaking, and the Catholic Church, the God-appointed 
educator to the world, the one assembly of the faithful able to 
trace its origin back to the time of Christ and His apostles, 
fell heir to their mission and to their vast prerogative. 

Catholic education, as opposed to purely secular education, 
can be best described as the propagation of knowledge in all its 
various departments, coupled with an abiding determination to 
give to God, and religion, and virtue the commanding and con- 
spicuous position they deserve to occupy in matters touching 
mens' minds and wills. It takes into account the fact that man 
is not all mind, but part will ; and, valuing things at their true 
worth, rates training of the will more important than training 
of the mind. It lays down rules for right conduct as well as for 
right thinking; and recognizes the solemn truth that men are 
measured by what they do rather than by what they know. 
Knowledge never makes a man good, conduct does that; and 
just as mind is the mainspring of knowledge, will is the main- 
spring of conduct. We think with the mind, we do with the 
will; and in the long run doing is the thing that counts, not 
thinking. Thinking is for doing, not the other way about. 
The head is servant to the heart, not its master. 

God, religion and virtue are the soul of true education, and, 
where they are absent, education is a corpse fit only to be 
buried. Godless education, mere instruction, the brand that 
ministers simply to the mind, with no visible influence for good 
on the character or will, is as empty as a game of hazard. It is 
the learning that first grew fashionable when godless schools 
began to exist. It is what we call purely human knowledge. 
It is derivable from books ; and in spite of its manifest inferiority 
to divine wisdom, it gets the lion's share of men's attention. It 
is of paramount importance while life lasts, but after death its 
use is at an end. It can get money for the purchase of stocks, 



318 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

bonds and luxuries; but it never yet made a saint, it never yet 
vested anybody with the right to a seat in the Kingdom of 
Heaven. It ministers to men's and women's pride, and unless 
kept in tight control by virtue drags its owner down to hell. 
This sort of knowledge is a necessary poison, and must be 
handled with due precaution. A little learning is a dangerous 
thing, but not so dangerous by half as much learning based on 
any foundation save that of faith in God and reverence for 
religion. This human knowledge is the basis of what we call 
instruction as opposed to education. And by a strange per- 
version of ideas instruction is nowadays rated everything, 
education is abandoned to neglect and contempt. Colleges and 
universities preach the supremacy of science and awaken in 
minds a zeal for progress that would be truly commendable, 
were it only supplemented by a corresponding activity along 
higher lines. The chapels attached to our modern institutions 
of learning are menaces to morality, inasmuch as they are fast 
becoming monuments to religious indifferentism and temples 
of contradiction. To make attendance at religious services 
optional at school or college, is to aim a heavier blow at religion 
than to tear down a house of worship. To advocate doubt in 
the pulpit, to preach sermons with the avowed purpose of 
weakening trust in the authority of God's word, is to parade as 
a wolf in sheep's clothing, and administer poison under cover 
of a healing draught. And this is what is being done the 
country over. Yoimg men and young women cannot sit at the 
feet of today's professors without imbibing religious principles 
altogether subversive of faith and morality. They cannot 
succeed in class, they cannot hope to win a diploma, unless they 
to all appearances adopt these false principles, and make their 
own theories, that though quite unable to stand the test of 
reason, must be swallowed whole, because forsooth some 
infidel or atheist is sovereign king in the classroom or lecture- 
hall. Minds are furnished every help to pursue their investiga- 
tions along the field of science; but for morality and religion 
little or no provision is made. Obstacles to belief are set up 
everywhere with the permission of authority, and teachers of 
impiety are everywhere tolerated. The undisciplined minds 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 3 1 9 

of the young make early acquaintance with ethical and re- 
ligious problems able to puzzle older and better educated heads; 
and, as a result of the experience, go down before temptation, 
and join the army of unbelievers. No helper is at hand to 
uncover error's deceits, religion is no concern of the modern 
university; and young men, young women, thrown on their own 
resources are no match for the pettifogging advocates of evil, 
who today grace the chairs of science, and literature, and art in 
our secular institutions of learning. God speed the day when 
divine knowledge shall get the hearing she deserves in every 
educational center in our land. God speed the day when 
men's minds, opened at last to the light, shall recognize the 
iniquity of divorcing God from wisdom, and forbidding religion 
entrance into the classroom. Till that blessed day dawns, we 
Catholics must stand up for God's rights in His universe. We 
must see to it that the hearts of little children get quite as much 
attention as their heads, that for every step taken along the 
paths of science strides be made in the knowledge and love of 
God. Religion and morality must forever continue to figure 
prominently in the diplomas we hand our graduates, and we 
must persistently refuse to lower our high standard to the level 
of the times, and we must obstinately refuse to reckon truly 
educational any system which despises or neglects faith and 
piety. 

We stand for the education that instructs many unto justice; 
in the beautiful language of God, we applaud only such educa- 
tors as "shall shine as stars for all eternity in the firmament of 
God," Dan. 12:3; and for a hundred years Gonzaga has been 
dispensing just such an education, and Gonzaga can today 
boast a long line of just such educators. Her teaching staff 
from first to last was made up of men alive to the dignity of 
their calling and alert to its responsibilities. Sculptors and 
painters create marvels of beauty in marble and on canvas, but 
their best efforts result in lifeless stone and woven corruption. 
A Catholic teacher makes men instinct with life and warm with 
the love of God. He takes growing boys on the threshold of 
manhood, equips their enquiring minds with every species of 
useful information, and shapes their wavering wills to right 



320 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

principles of conduct. He does all that secular teachers do, 
and more besides. He prepares his young charges for the 
battle of life and for perpetual residence in Heaven, for success 
here and the consummation of happiness hereafter, the posses- 
sion of God in the beatific vision. His pupils, when true to his 
master-touch, leave his hands models of refinement, scholars in 
the highest sense of the word and saints predestined to places 
among the elect. His pupils are clay to the hands of the 
potter, to be moulded and shaped towards truth and good by 
the precepts he teaches and the example of his conduct. He 
gives his charges the full benefit of every particle of wisdom 
and talent he possesses. Profiting by his own experience, he 
uncovers to them error's deceits and opens their eyes wide to 
the hidden precipices of life. He is all solicitude for their 
progress in the sciences, he is all solicitude for their growth in 
holiness; and one solicitude never clashes with the other. His 
interest in their spiritual and religious development never 
weakens his zeal for their advancement in letters and the arts. 
The one laudable ambition of a Catholic teacher is not the 
praise, or the applause, or the favor of his pupils; but their 
proficiency in scholarship, and the salvation of their immortal 
souls; to make them wise with the wisdom of Solomon, and 
holy with the holiness of God; to make them docile children at 
home, useful citizens to the republic, and a lasting credit to the 
Church and the faith of their fathers. 

Men are seldom better than they were when boys, often they 
are a great deal worse; and our critical years are the years we 
spend at school and college. Youth is the seed-time of habits, 
and as the sapling is bent so grows the tree. Captive to this 
solemn thought, the Catholic teacher is at his best pains to 
implant in his pupils habits of study, habits of industry, habits 
of obedience to constituted authority, habits of faith, and 
religion, and virtue. In no doubtful or obscure way he teaches 
them what they must do to be saved, and employs every re- 
source at his disposal, human and divine, to compel them to 
stand manfully to duty. We cannot overestimate the force of 
habit in the formation of character. And good habits are a 
harder problem than bad ones, because, while our corrupt 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 321 

nature is a helper and assistant to bad habits, it is a check and 
a hindrance to good ones. Good habits wither and die with 
the years, unless they are planted early and strike deep root 
before the advent of manhood; and the man finds it next to 
impossible to dislodge habits he formed and encouraged when a 
child. Our days at school are fruitful in good or evil conse- 
quences for all the years that follow, and the destiny of the 
world for weal or woe would seem to be in the hands of our 
teachers. 

And Catholic teachers the world over, here at Gonzaga as 
well as elsewhere, are wide awake to the solemn fact. The 
Child Jesus under the tutelage of Mary and Joseph grew in 
wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men. True to their 
models, Mary and Joseph, Catholic teachers never rest satisfied, 
till they detect resemblances between their pupils and the holy 
Child Jesus. And these teachers make their influence felt in 
every nook and corner of the land. It affects our families, 
from families it passes to parishes, from parishes to cities, and 
from cities to the entire republic. God and country, family 
and state are the chiefest concerns of all true education, and 
one cannot be separated from the others without harm to all. 
The boys of this generation are going to be the men of the next, 
and the education they get will fix the quality of their manhood. 
Their education will be defective if God, faith and religion form 
no part of their studies; their education will be defective, if 
wrong notions about God, faith and religion are impressed on 
their young minds; their education will be defective, if their 
heads are stuffed with information, to the utter neglect of their 
hearts, their wills, their characters. Error regarding God 
leads the way to error regarding the world God created, and 
wrong divine knowledge unfailingly finishes in wrong human 
knowledge. You cannot be wrong in matters of faith, and long 
remain right in matters of science. Truth cannot be opposed 
to truth; faith is as true as God, and science opposed to faith 
is as false as the devil, yea falser, because the devil himself 
believes. He has too much common sense to reject faith, and 
he is an everlasting witness to the absolute uselessness of faith 
without good works. Faith is truth, science opposed to faith 



322 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

is falsehood. Truth alone is fit and healthy food for the mind, 
falsehood is most destructive poison. Institutions of learning 
dead or hostile to faith are feeding most deleterious poison to 
the minds of their pupils; and the poison eventually finds its 
way to the top, frequently in this life, always in the next. 

Gonzaga during her hundred years of honorable service has 
been no such institution of learning. Here she stands, a monu- 
ment to the religiousness of -her teachers and pupils, a monu- 
ment to their allegiance to government. She is built into the 
very walls of the Church. She is situated within the very 
shadow of the Capitol. Aloysius and Gonzaga are inseparable. 
You can no more separate Aloysius and Gonzaga than the two 
parts constituting a man's whole name. And just as St. 
Aloysius' Church is an inspiration to Gonzaga for God, and 
faith, and religion, the Capitol on the neighboring hill is her 
inspiration for patriotism and devotion to country. One, 
our house of prayer, is the citadel of God ; the other, the temple 
of our laws and liberties is the citadel of our republic, the symbol 
of good citizenship and good government. There can be no 
true citizenship without the knowledge and the fear of God. 
A government based on irreligion is doomed to swift decay. 
Conscience is no stay against crime, when no God of reality and 
omnipotence sanctions its promptings. Individuals, families, 
and states will be wrong, till religion hold universal sway in 
the hearts of men. Till this happens, war will be the one 
remedy for governmental ills, and war cures sick republics by 
making them too weak to fight longer. And when republics 
are too weak to fight, they are too weak to reap the fruits 
attaching to intervals of peace. Take the taxes and revenues 
of a year, subtract the amount needed to meet the legitimate 
expenses of government, devote the remainder to religious uses- 
— and see the dawn of millennium break on the world. If our 
own country and the other countries of the world gave a hun- 
dred thousand dollars to religion where they now give a million 
to cruisers, there would soon be no need of cruisers, and the 
cruisers now sailing the seas could be scrapped to build churches, 
schools, factories and homes for the people. What the world 
nteds at the present hour is more talk about religion, and less 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 323 

talk about disarmament and the limitation of armaments. 
No sensible statesman will agree to strip his country of defense 
or limit its armament without an absolutely effective guarantee 
of freedom from molestation at the hands of neighbors, and 
religion is the one agency in the world able to go bond for this 
guarantee. Other agencies have been tried, and history is 
witness that they proved dismal failures. War is still a menace 
in the world, and war must forever remain a menace till in- 
dividuals and nations alike are drenched and thoroughly per- 
meated with the spirit of the gospel and the counsels of Christ, 
who is as much today the teacher and the redeemer of the world 
as He was when He walked the fields and the roads of Judea. 

To conclude, I am but voicing the sentiments of dead and 
buried professors at Gonzaga, I am but rehearsing advice 
familiar to my own ears and to ears of successive generations 
of pupils at old Gonzaga. Look to your bodies, look to your 
minds, look to your hearts ! Be athletes in the pink of condi- 
tion, develop and strengthen the splendid manhood the vir- 
tuous lives of your Catholic fathers and mothers gave you. 
Be scholars, crowd your unburdened minds with all the facts 
of the ages, their literature, their art, their science; and feel 
able to join issue with any man in the broad and open field of 
truth. Be saints, with the ancestral blood of martyrs in your 
veins; do the right, and keep it against ail comers; feel able to 
hold your heads high, when among men; feel able to look your- 
selves straight in the face, and to lift your eyes towards Heaven 
without fear and without shame. Athletes, scholars, saints! 
Behold the trinity of good a true education embraces; behold 
the motto for which Gonzaga College stands today, stood all 
through the yesterdays of a hundred years, and shall with the 
continued favor and abundant mercy of God forever stand. 

DINNER GUESTS 

After Solemn Pontifical Mass and Procession, the 
guests repaired to the lower auditorium where dinner 
was served, those present being as follows: 

Most Rev. John Bonzano, Apostolic Delegate, Most Rev. 
Archibald Filippi, Very Rev. Joseph H. Rockwell, S. J., Rev. 



324 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Paul R. Conniff, S. J., Very Rev. Msgr. Aluigi Cossio, Rt. Rev. 
Msgr. Bernard J. Bradley, Msgr. Philip Bernardini, Rev. 
Timothy B. Barrett, S. J., Rev. Bernardin Bidinger, Rev. 
William J. Brooks, S. J., Rev. Albert G. Brown, S. J., Rev. R. 
Butin, S. M., Rev. James J. Carlin, S. J., Rev. George L. Coyle, 
S. J., Rev. John B. Creeden, S. J., Rev. J. Charles Davey, S. J., 
Rev. Francis P. Donnelly, S. J., Mr. Rossa F. Downing, Rev. 
Augustus J. Duarte, S. J., Very Rev. E. R. Dyer, Rev. Joseph 
I. Fink, S. J., Bro. Jeremiah Flaherty, S. J., Msgr. J. A. Floersh, 
Rev. Matthew L. Fortier, S. J., Rev. J. D. Fowler, 0. P., Rev. 
Edward F. Gallagher, S. J., Rev. Edward A. Gilgan, Bro. 
Michael Habermann, S. J., Rev. Henry J. Hagen, S. J., Msgr. 
H. T. Henry, Rev. Paschasius Heriz, Rev. Owen A. Hill, S. J., 
Rev. Charles D. Hogue, Rev. D. C. Keenan, Rev. George E. 
Kelly, S. J., Mr. Edward J. Kenna, S. J., Rev. D. J. Kennedy, 
O. P., Rev. P. C. Gavan, Dr. James J. Kilroy, Rev. Francis P. 
LeBuffe, S. J., Rev. Peter Lutz, S. J., Rev. E. DeL. McDonnell, 
S. J., Rev. Bernard A. McKenna, D. D., Rev. John M. McNa- 
mara, Bro. John J. McShea, S. J., Rev. Thomas V. Moore, C. S. 
P., Dr. Daniel D. Mulcahy, Rev. John F. X. Murphy, S. J., 
Rev. George B. Neitzey, O. P., Bro. John J. O'Connell, S. J., 
Rev. Justin O'Brien, Rev. P. J. O'Connell, Rev. Raphael V. 
O'Connell, S. J., Rev. James J. O'Connor, Rev. John O'Grady, 
Rev. Lewis J. O'Hern, C. S. P., Rev. Arthur A. O'Leary, S. J., 
Very Rev. Edward A. Pace, Rev. Hector Papi, S. J., Rev. 
William C. Repetti, S. J., Rev. M. J. Riordan, Rev. David J. 
Roche, S. J., Rev. John A. Ryan, Mr. Robert L. Ryan, S. J., 
Rev. Henry J. Shandelle, S. J., Mr. Robert T. Smith, S. J., 
Rev. Edward J. Sweeney, S. J., Rev. R. J. Tracy, S. J., Mr. 
James F. Treubig, S. J., Rev. William J. Tynan, S. J., Rev. 
Clarence E. Wheeler. 

Solemn Pontifical Vespers 
At 8.00 p.m. Solemn Pontifical Vespers were sung 
by the Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J., in the enforced 
absence of Bishop Shahan. The offices of Deacon 
and Sub-Deacon were filled by the Rev. David J. 
Roche, S. J., and Rev. Francis P. Donnelly, S. J., 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 325 

respectively. Following is the sermon preached by 
the Rev. Francis P. LeBuffe, S. J. : 

Therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses 
hovering all about us, laying aside every weight and sin 
which surrounds us, let us run with steadfastness the 
race that is ahead of us, looking on Jesus, the author 
and finisher of faith. — Hebrews, xii, 1-2. 

My Dear Brethren: 

To the convert Hebrews of old, St. Paul is writing his stirring 
words. With insistent repetition he has unfolded once again 
their history from the framing of this world unto the coming 
of Christ. "It was by this faith that our men of old were 
renowned" is the beginning of his narrative and then the 
generations are made to pass in review and tell their story. 
"By faith we understand that the world was framed by the 
word of God;" "by faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice exceed- 
ing that of Cain"; "by faith Henoch was translated that he 
should not see death"; "by faith Noe framed the ark"; "by 
faith . . . Abraham abode in the land, dwelling in tents 
with Isaac and Jacob," and so with Sara, with Joseph, with 
Moses, with Josue, by faith they ran their winning race, and 
when the Promised Land was won, a Gedeon, a Barac, a Samson 
and a Jephte among the Judges of Israel, David, Israel's king 
and sweet-toned psalmist, Samuel, Isaias, Jeremias and Ezechiel 
among the Prophets are called upon as strong moulders of the 
history of their folk. For it was they who "by faith conquered 
kingdoms, wrought justice, obtained promises, stopped the 
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge 
of the sword, recovered strength from weakness, became 
valiant in battle, put to flight the armies of foreigners." With 
hurrying pen St. Paul thus limns in bold outline the story of 
the holy folk and then he draws the lesson for the living— 
and therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses 
hovering all about us, laying aside every weight and sin which 
surrounds us, let us run with steadfastness the race that is 
ahead of us, looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. 
A sainted ancestry demands a holy offspring, a race of heroes 



326 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

must not be shamed by sons who are coward dwarfs! Pride of 
family must keep the younger generation true to high ideals 
and narrow their steps within virtue's straight paths. 

Thus it is that we are gathered here within Gonzaga's loved 
precincts and here within the hallowed walls of God's temple 
that we may tell of all the glory of this dear old school and of 
those who formed and fashioned it in days now gone. Then 
shall we raise aloft our hymn of thanksgiving and of praise to 
God for all His mercies as the years swung by. 

One hundred years have come and gone. For one hundred 
years the marching millions of men have trodden the way of 
earth, have lived their lives and died their deaths and have 
been gathered unto the great army that sleeps beneath the 
sod. No one alive today stood upon the spot that marked 
Gonzaga's rise one hundred years ago, nor are there any lips 
to tell of the birth of this dear Alma Mater whose praises are 
loud upon the air these days. 

Rolling back the scroll of time, we place ourselves at the 
foundation of the College, then known as the Washington 
Seminary. That was one hundred years ago, and the learned 
and saintly Anthony Kohlmann, of the Society of Jesus, was 
its first President. Success waited upon it at once and Wash- 
ington's best families were represented within its class-rooms. 
Through years of success and years when failure seemed to be 
written large upon her every effort, Alma Mater struggled on. 
In 1871 the College was removed from its original site, on F 
Street, to its present location. This is not the place nor the 
time to recall each detail of its hundred years of life. Since 
1871 Gonzaga is interwoven into the life of this large and 
fervent parish and its history has been a holy heritage in all 
our homes. 

Gonzaga was founded by men of vision, forward-looking 
men, as the phrase goes today. We have heard a deal within 
recent years of upstanding men who will firmly face the prob- 
lems that beset mankind and give a fearless answer, men who 
will look at the facts of life as a whole and solve them not 
for the day, nor for the coming week or year, but for all time. 
The interplay of human enterprises, the friction of human 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 32 7 

interests, the conflict of man against man, now clamorous, 
now subdued, but never absent, call incessantly for a solution. 
What solution can be given? There is but one solution, that 
has stood and can stand the test of time, and that solution is 
offered by men of vision, who have the vision of God. Of old 
they called these men "seers," because they saw the things of 
God and carried on the story to mankind. Those men of 
yore and their successors through the centuries have had their 
vision horizoned by no limits of time, nor shortened by the 
grave's narrow bounds, but lifting up their eyes they looked 
beyond until Time's vista opened into eternity. They saw 
the big things and the little things of life in right and just 
perspective. They measured them pitilessly yet justly and 
with perfect poise against the standards of God, they weighed 
them with the weights they found within the sanctuary, and 
then they turned to teach all men this correct evaluation. 
Men of vision surely they were who founded this dear old. 
College, both the faculty and the parents whose boys were sent 
hither to school. As priests, these pioneer professors of Gon- 
zaga were men who had so heard the invitation of God to 
come and labor in His vineyard, that they had gone out from 
their earthly father's home, for each was — ■ 

"Chosen of God his lonely way to wend, 
Out from all glare and glory to the shade, 
The shadow of the Cross where priests are made." 

As Jesuits these founders of Gonzaga were men of vision after 
the heart of their captain, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who had 
had his vision circumscribed by the things of time, until that 
day when God struck him down and tore the blinders from off 
his eyes. Then with the swift insight of God's own men-at- 
arms he saw the plan of battle, and forged his thunderbolt and 
sped it against the forces of the Reformation, which rocked and 
reeled beneath the onslaught. He called for "banner-men," 
men trained to await the hero hour with un tingling nerves, and 
then to go forth with havoc to the enemy — he called and the 
call was not unheeded. Gonzaga's history alone will prove 
this true. These early teachers of Gonzaga were of heroic 



328 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

mould, trained soldiers who obeyed, when a valiant soldier finds 
obedience hardest, obeyed when the word of high command 
summoned them off the field of war. They were men who had 
on them the helmet of salvation and the breast-plate of justice, 
with the shield of faith in their left hand, in their right the sword 
of God; men they were who tried to live up to that ideal of a 
Jesuit's life which has been so well expressed; they tried to be 
" Men crucified to the world, and to whom the world is crucified, 
new men, who have put off their own affections to put on Christ : 
dead to themselves to live to justice; who with St. Paul (2 Cor., 6) 
in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, 
in long-suffering, in kindliness in the Holy Ghost, in charity 
unfeigned, in the word of truth, show themselves ministers of 
God: and by the armor of justice on the right hand and the 
left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report, by 
good success finally and ill success, press forward by great 
stages to their heavenly country, and by all means possible 
and with all zeal, urge on others also, ever looking to God's 
greatest glory." 

Of like mould, too, have been the fathers and mothers who 
have entrusted their sons to Gonzaga's care. As Catholics 
it was in their very blood to hold close kinship with the things 
of God, to have hearts that were native to high heaven. As 
Catholics these parents had been schooled from earliest years to 
view this beautiful world of ours, with all its compelling luxuri- 
ance, as a fit place of dwelling for man wherein he might have 
many sacred joys and yet no permanent abode, a pleasant 
world to be sure, with its gladdening sunshine and flowers, its 
refreshing rain, its comforting mantle of night, and yet a world 
which cannot claim man long, for it is but an ante-chamber to 
God's own home in Heaven. They did not listen to the call of 
selfishness that would bid them rob their sons of a proper 
education that these children might work and place a few more 
dollars weekly in their parents' hands. They did not hearken 
to the advice of worldly-minded folk who would have had them 
send their sons to fashionable schools, where no branch of 
learning is forbidden save only the highest, the science of 
morality, whence no name is excluded save only God's. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 329 

Thus it was with such founders and such cooperating parents 
that Gonzaga's foundations were laid deep and lasting, for it 
was built upon principles as immovable as the everlasting hills. 
As every other Catholic institution, Gonzaga has ever raised 
her voice on high and proclaimed the unchanging truths of 
reason and of faith. She has taught and teaches to-day, that 
by reason itself it is clear that man by the very constitution of 
his nature finds himself in a triple indestructible relationship 
to himself, to his fellow-man and to God; that this indestruct- 
ible relationship within him means the proper subordination 
of his lower to his higher nature; this indestructible relation 
to his fellow-men means justice and charity in all his acts; this 
indestructible relation to God means unswerving obedience to 
God's command; and she further teaches that the violation of 
these basic relations means sin, and serious sin entails eternal 
frustration of man's final purpose in life. She has not gone 
the way of modern schools and taught that God is but a creation 
of an untutored imagination, that morality is but a code of 
social etiquette, that man is unconditioned master of himself. 
Placed here in the heart of the nation, she has stood and stands 
to-day for those principles which lie at the very roots of our 
individual and social lives, those principles upon which our 
glorious Republic was founded, those principles the repudia- 
tion of which would spell disaster to that same dear country. 

But she stops not with reason. Fully conscious of God's 
revelation to mankind, realizing that "God, who at sundry 
times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers 
by the prophets, last of all in these days hath spoken to us 
by His Son," she ever heralds forth the truths of our Catholic 
Faith. As a tender mother she has taken the growing boy and 
has spoken to him of Nazareth and Bethlehem and told him 
what manner of boy the boy-Christ would have His younger 
brothers be. To the young man she has unfolded the life of 
toil at Nazareth and the years of active ministry when the 
man-God traversed the highways and byways of the Holy 
Land, and she has charged her sons to look on labor as a holy 
thing, for it has been sanctified by the touch of God. She 
has told and retold the story of Good Friday and made her 



330 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

sons stand well within the shadow of the Cross, that they might 
learn what sin must be when it could cause the murder of their. 
Captain, Christ. She has taught them a deep and an abiding 
love for Holy Mother Church, a strong attachment to her 
sacraments, a manly reverence for all that she holds dear. 
Thus training reason to aid faith and faith to succor reason, 
Gonzaga has sent forth her sons to face life's battle, and her 
history shows that they have faced it well. 

Thus it is, my brethren, that we too have round about a 
host of witnesses. As we stand in the arena of life and look 
up to this folk of God who have preceded us we see among them 
the priestly Kohlmann, who vindicated before American law 
the inviolability of the seal of confessional ; the saintly Villiger, 
the gentle Galligan, the large-hearted Gillespie, the scholarly 
Devitt. The eloquent Conway cries to us as he did of yore, 
and a ringing charge to fight like men comes down to us from 
the soldierly Pardow, whose call to arms so often sounded from, 
this pulpit. Other sons there are before us in this great host, 
whom Gonzaga nurtured in their younger years and watched 
with a mother's eyes until she saw them safely home with God. 
A John and a Martin Hollohan, whose hands were anointed 
with the sacred chrism of the priesthood and now have hearkened 
to the summons home. The virile Brosnahan, whose pen was 
wielded so often and so well for constructive Catholic education. 
Again in that great gathering we see the unknown soldiers of 
Gonzaga's battles, our parents, men and women with the vision 
of God. The) 7 toiled, they suffered, they wearied themselves 
patiently, and oh! so silently, that we, their sons, might learn 
within Gonzaga's walls to know and love and serve our dear 
Lord better. The toil they did not mind, the weariness they 
counted not, for they knew that "there remaineth a day of 
rest for the people of God." The world knows naught of them 
my brethren, nor when they were alive did it herald forth their 
names, yet when the heat and burden of each day had passed 
and they bent weary limbs and bowed tired heads in prayer, 
God had taken note of all their labors, and they were quite 
satisfied to have God note their works. Yes, though you 
search in vain in the records of time for their names, to-day 






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HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 333 

and all these days of celebration and all the days of our mortal 
warfare, our fathers and mothers look down upon us and they 
call to us to be true to the heritage they have left us. They 
bid us ever bear in mind the words of the aging Tobias to his 
well-loved boy: "We are the children of saints and look for 
that life which God will give to those that never change their 
faith from Him." 

Thus, please God, it will be. The great army of our loved 
ones has gone before; they have fought the good fight, have 
finished the course and have kept the faith. They now await 
our victory. By faith the early Jesuit Fathers builded this 
dear old College, by faith they labored within its walls, by 
faith they spent themselves for God. By faith our sainted 
self-forgetting parents stinted themselves and by faith looked 
up to God for reward of their self-sacrifice. By faith the older 
generations of Gonzaga boys have passed their lives in every 
profession and every line of business, ever holding fast to those 
high principles they learned from Alma Mater. By faith all 
these lived true Catholics, by faith all these died true Catholics, 
and Gonzaga is proud of her dead. It now remains for us, the 
living, to do our part. By faith you good fathers and mothers 
are repeating the sacrifices of the older folk, seeking to pass on 
the inheritance you have received. A heritage of priceless 
worth is yours. See to it that you pass it on untainted and 
untarnished. By faith we alumni must keep our eyes upon the 
heavenly heights and when the battle of life in this valley of 
tears goes hard with us, we must hearken unto Alma Mater 
as she calls to us as did the father of the Macchabees of old : 
"Now, therefore, O my sons, be ye zealous for the law, and give 
your lives for the covenant of your fathers . . . and thus 
consider through all generations, that none that trust in him 
fail in strength. You, therefore, my sons, take courage and 
behave manfully in the law, for by it you shall be glorious." 
By faith the present students within Gonzaga's venerated 
halls must learn to love and reverence the things of God, must 
school themselves to acts of every virtue, that when they too 
come out into life's battle, they may stand shoulder to shoulder 
with the bravest. 



334 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Thus to all of us, to you fathers and to you mothers, to you 
her present students and to us of the alumni, Gonzaga's call 
to-day is Gonzaga's clarion call these hundred years: 
"Send me men girt for the combat, 
Men who are grit to the core, 
Send me the best of your breeding, 

Lend me your chosen ones, 
Them will I clasp to my bosom, 

Them will I call my sons ; 
And I will not be won by weaklings, 

Subtle, suave, and mild, 
But by men with the hearts of Vikings, 
And the simple faith of a child." 



MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14 
Pontifical High Mass at 10.00 A. M. 

Celebrant Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Shahan, D. D. 

Assistant Priest Rev. Paul R. Conniff , S. J. 

/Rev. Raphael V. O'Connell, S. T. 
Deacons of Honor [ R ^ Henfy j Shandelle> g T 

Deacon Rev. Aloysius J. Guiney, S. J. 

Sub-Deacon Rev. Augustus J. Duarte, S. J. 

Master of Ceremonies. . . .Rev. George D. Neitzey, O. P. 
Preacher Rev. Charles W. Lyons, S. J. 

It is to be regretted that the able and eloquent 
sermon of Rev. Charles W. Lyons, S. J., cannot be 
reproduced in its entirety, as no manuscript copy 
was obtainable. We subjoin a few striking sentences 
from his peroration, as they recur to the memory of 
the writer : 

To the young men of this college, I say to-day, "Remember, 
you come from a royal ancestiy, royal and intellectual, royal 
and moral. Live up to what they have done. Correspond 
to the teaching of your great school, and when the next great 
festival comes, they can look back on you even as we look back 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 335 

on the record of the past. They have been true to their teach- 
ing, and she has been successful in her teaching. What more 
can we say? The child that loves its mother watches her in 
her sorrows, and in her joys. In sorrow it tries to please, and 
in joy it rejoices with the exultation of her heart. You, the 
present and future members of Gonzaga College, rejoice with 
her in her one hundred years. She has given her full meed to 
the progress of our country. She has given of her learning, 
her wisdom, her philosophy. She has given her share in this 
material progress of her country, and she has given more — she 
has given the best she had to the making of true men, without 
which no country can long exist. Let us rejoice with her in 
the one hundred years of the making of better men. The 
strength of a country is in the character of its citizens. The 
duration of a country is in proportion only to the character 
and virtue of those who constitute her. Let us rejoice in the 
one hundred years of the making of better men. Let us rejoice 
with her in the great love of the heart. Let us rejoice with her 
in the present large enrollment, and in the prospects of the 
near future, and in that rejoicing, let us make our wills strong 
to aid her, not only with the lip motion, but with the service 
of real manhood and womanhood, and with the fidelity that 
comes from love well founded. 

Glorious Mother of a Glorious Patronage! My friends, I 
say to you to-day, "Love the one who has given so much to 
fellowman." 



MONDAY, 8.00 P. M. 

Smoker and Reunion of Old Students 

This remarkable gathering was made noteworthy 
by the presence of the oldest living graduate of Gon- 
zaga and practically all the living students who could 
claim the old College on F Street as their Alma 
Mater. Short addresses were made by Father 
Conniff and Father Davey for the Faculty and Messrs. 
Plant and Gallery for the Alumni. The pleasure of 



336 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

the occasion was much enhanced by the Gonzaga 
songs and choruses composed by the gifted singer, 
Mr. Thomas Pyne. His "Sons of Gonzaga" was 
especially admired. We reproduce it herewith: 

Sons of Gonzaga 

Years ago, when the Tiber flowed, 
Old Gonzaga her spirit showed; 

She taught the youth 

In ways of truth, 
And now all her glory tells the story. 
Onward, then, she will lead the way. 
While her sons march in proud array, 

Always revering, 

Ever cheering, 
Sounding her praise for aye. 

Chorus: 

vSons of Gonzaga, 

Faithful and staunch and true, 
Stand by Alma Mater to-day, 

As loyal sons should do. 
Cheer for the Purple and White, 

Pledging our loyalty. 
Beneath Gonzaga's flag 
We'll never lag, 

But march right on to victory. 

Mr. Bernard E. Shlesinger, '11, was Chairman of 
this pleasing feature of the Centennial Celebration. 



TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15 
Solemn Military Mass at 10.00 A. M. 

Celebrant Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J. 

Deacon Rev. Joseph I. Fink, S. J. 

Sub-Deacon Rev. John A. Dixon, S. J. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 337 

* 
Master of Ceremonies . . Rev. George L. Coyle, S. J. 
Preacher Rev. Richard H. Tierney, S. J. 

The Sermon 

This is a democracy. A democracy is a commonwealth in 
which the people, as a unit, govern themselves, through the 
medium of simple laws, enacted and executed in a way chosen 
by the citizens. In a democracy, therefore, there is no ruler 
apart and distinct from the people, but rather an executive, 
elected by the people to put the people's will in force. The pop- 
ulace, then, is the ruler, the governor of a free commonwealth. 
Now government takes place through law, and law involves the 
activity of two faculties of the soul, the intellect and the will; 
the activity of the intellect that the law may be conceived, 
that the law may be sound, the activity of the will that the 
law may come into existence and be put into execution. Hence, 
it follows that good government depends on both the intelligence 
and character of the citizenry. So it comes to pass that 
proper education is essential to the welfare and even to the 
existence of a free commonwealth, as such. What proper 
education is, is clear, not only from the nature of man, but from 
the nature of the duties imposed upon him. 

Man is a creature of body and soul upon whom are imposed 
the obligations of perfecting himself as best he may and serving 
his country, according to his station, to the full limit of his 
ability. But the perfection of man supposes the training of 
all his faculties, his intellect and his will, especially, that he 
may think aright and live aright, necessary requirements, too, 
that he may govern aright. 

What man is fit to govern if he is ignorant of fundamental 
principles of law and order? What man is fit to govern if, 
knowing all things within the ken of the human mind, he is 
yet too unrestrained to govern himself, too wicked to observe 
even the natural law? Reason gives answer: the world gives 
answer, the sad, weary, hungry world that has so often been 
torn asunder by the stupidity and the malice of governments. 
And the answer is: No man is fit to govern unless he has been 



33S HISTORY OP GONZAGA COLLEGE 

perfected by discipline which fashioned his intellect to discern 
right from wrong, truth from error, and strengthened his 
will to embrace truth and follow justice, despite all obstacles. 
Clearly, then, government' depends on education. Every 
child, therefore, in a democracy must be educated as far as 
may be. This is right. This is a duty owed him and the 
State. Moreover, he must be educated in a way conducive to 
his own perfection and the perfection of the commonwealth. 
His intellect must be set in the way of right thought by suitable 
means; his will must be fixed by virtue, both by ethics and 
religion. And since the latter consideration is far more impor- 
tant than the former, it follows from this and other reasons, too, 
that education is primarily a moral and religious function 
destined by God to bring man to his full stature and his full 
usefulness. 

Religious education, then, is a solemn duty imposed upon 
those charged with the formation of citizens. But who are 
those so charged? The Stater Nay. The burden of such 
education falls upon those to whom the child belongs, upon 
those who begot the child, the parents. I repeat that such 
education belongs to the parents, not to the State, which 
follows the existence of the family and is founded thereon. 
So true is it that the right and duty of educating children 
belong to the parents that even the school but takes up and 
extends the function of the home. And nothing may be done 
in the school, whether public or private, contrary to the legiti- 
mate wishes of the parents. The parents are supreme. The 
school but stands in their place, in the way parents desire and 
for the time that they desire, fulfilling only those functions 
committed to them by the father and mother, doing nothing 
that in any way may impair family life. This the place, this 
the function of the school in the commonwealth, a purely 
vicarious existence, accomplishing the legitimate will of the 
parents, as expressed through law or statute. 

True, the State is immensely concerned with education, 
but in a very definite and very limited way. For, after all, 
the child is not a member of the family only, but of the common- 
wealth as well. For this reason the school becomes an agent 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 339 

of the State, also, for the preparation of citizens. Hence, the 
State has a vital interest in education . To speak more definitely : 
it -is the duty of the commonwealth to preserve and perfect 
itself in order that it may advance the general welfare to the 
highest possible pitch. And this is done primarily through 
the education of its citizens. Thus, the State becomes con- 
cerned with education, but only in as far as this is necessary for 
the general welfare. 

It should encourage love of learning, should insist that 
citizens should be sufficiently educated to perform their duties 
intelligently, should supply material means for education, 
should forbid doctrines subversive of the principles of govern- 
ment, should educate neglected children in the absence of other 
duly authorized agents. But it may not infringe one jot or 
tittle on the natural rights of parents. It may not force parents 
to send their children to any particular school. It may not 
oblige children to use textbooks to which their parents justly 
object. Except in rare cases, it must not convert itself into 
a schoolmaster. For this it was not intended, for this it is 
not fit. And should it ever so far forget itself as to deny citizens 
freedom of education, woe to it and woe to the citizens. Its 
fate is sealed; the fate of the citizens is sealed. 
■ It is bad enough that religion, once firmly established in 
all our schools, public and private, should now be excluded 
from millions of class rooms in the land. This exclusion is 
not only a pedagogical blunder, it is a danger to wholesome 
national life; for without Christ, the norm of such a life, without 
Christ, the doror of such a life, that life cannot exist. If for 
five days a week the child is without Christ, the man will be 
without Christ seven days a week, and if the man be without 
Christ seven days a week, so too will the State be without Him 
for seven days a week. And then, alas, the flood, the flood of 
ruinous passions that will leave us weltering in blood. 

For, my brethren, history repeats itself. Note how the 
calamity comes about. A certain State gave over the educa- 
tion of the future leaders of the people to blind philosophers 
puffed up with pride over their own attainments. One of these 
philosophers, the leader of his kind, dethroned the God-given 



340 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

faculties of intellect and will and put in their stead a sensitive 
faculty which groped towards truth as the worm crawls towards 
light, and recognized truth by mere sensation. Rational 
faculties were cast aside and emotions were put in their place. 
And the theologians of the State applied this doctrine to religion, 
the great poet of the State sang its praises, and all the while 
those who had been indoctrinated with it were sinking from 
low emotion to lower emotions, until at last the inevitable 
result occurred, for on this doctrine an ethicist based his super- 
man, and from the super-man quickly followed the super-state, 
to which, expediency, not God, was the norm of morality. 
And the work was done. No, not yet, for the material pros- 
perity of that nation waxed great and other nations became 
jealous thereof and adopted the philosophy and method of 
their rival. And there was no God, only riches and luxury. 
No God? Why, yes, there was. For if men be not of Heaven; 
they make unto themselves gods of the things of earth. And 
some made the State a god, others made commerce a god, 
others again, lust. Their gods attacked, men flew at one another 
like mad creatures, and pursued one another to an agonized 
death, by bomb, gas and plane, by all the death-bearing instru- 
ments that the genius of man could devise. To the number of 
seven or eight millions they marched and countermarched, 
destroying the fair fruits of the earth, burning and slaying, 
leaving the earth blighted as do pests of locusts. And to what 
effect? What did they accomplish? The land is soaked in 
human blood, whitened with bleached human bones. Children 
are starving, women are in despair, men are burning with 
hatred — the whole world is awry. Nations are ruined — how 
many, one? No, not one. Two? No, not two, but five and 
ten and more, so many that the President of these United 
States has felt obliged to call together the leaders of the chief 
nations and plead with them to dispense with many of their 
instruments of war that their people may live, Christian civiliza- 
tion may live. To such a pass has statesmanship without 
religion brought the world, and statesmanship without religion 
came of the class room without religion. Truly, religion is 
necessary for the individual and the State. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 34 1 

And it is in this fact and principle that the chief emphasis 
and almost the entire significance of this notable celebration 
lie. You have come out with show and enthusiasm to bear 
witness not to bricks and mortar but to the truth and necessity 
of this principle, conscious, too, that to it you owe all the 
spiritual and intellectual benefits that have come to you and 
your ancestors this century past. For inspired by that prin- 
ciple, and by that alone, the sons of Ignatius came among your 
ancestors a hundred years ago, and set up Gonzaga Seminary, 
which through the years has grown into this magnificent institu- 
tion. And they were valiant men, Wiget and Kohlmann and 
Lynch and Conway and Hollohan and all the others, great 
men — men of learning and holiness of life. And they labored 
in obscurity, until the angel of death took the staff of office from 
their hands. But the ranks were not broken, others of kindred 
and equal spirit took their place, and the work has gone on 
unbroken to this day, so that now Gonzaga has illustrious 
sons in all professions, in all parts of the country. 

But it must be confessed that all the credit for this work is 
not due to the Jesuits alone. Gonzaga has drawn most of her 
students from Washington, indeed, from this parish. And to 
the mothers of the parish is due no small part of the success 
achieved by the faculty of the College. Out of the homes 
presided over by these good mothers have come boys of splendid 
disposition, docile boys, bright boys, eager for learning, trained 
by their mothers to appreciate the higher realities of life. 
And the mothers in turn owe their virtues to the good Sisters 
of Notre Dame, who for well nigh fifty years have supple- 
mented the work of the college by their excellent schools. 
Living a highly intellectual and spiritual life themselves, they 
impart to their pupils their own spirit, so that the mothers of 
Gonzaga are noted for their faith and for their desire to promote 
the welfare of their children. All hail and all praise to the 
Sisters of Notre Dame! Their jubilee year is not far off, 
and when it comes may the clients of Gonzaga gather round 
them and send up to God a prayerful Te Deum in thanksgiving 
for the benefits the Sisters have conferred upon this college. 
They, like the Fathers of Gonzaga, have done their work well, 



342 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

the work of preparing young men and women for the world, 
and the consummation of this life— salvation. And soon 
Heaven will be ours, where we shall all be joined in fine great 
family, in enjoyment of an eternal reward which isTjod, the 
beginning and end of all. Be it so, O God! Be it so! 



11.45 A. M. 



Battalion Drill, Dress Parade and Band Concert on the 
College Campus by the Gonzaga College Cadet Corps 

Captain Harold C. Gardiner, '22, Commanding Company A. 
Captain Walter J. Keeley, '22, Commanding Company B. 
Captain A. Vernon Graves, '22, Commanding Company C. 

Battalion Staff 

Commandant Sergeant Joseph W. Seubert, U. S. A. 

Major .: Paul J. O'Donnell, '22 

First Lieut, and Adjutant Francis J. Gallagher, '22 

First Lieut, and Supply Officer Joseph D. Healey, '22 

Sergeant Major Joseph E. Fealy, '22 



THE COLLEGE PLAY 

The College Play merits a more extended notice. For many 
weary weeks, Mr. Robert T. Smith, S. J., himself a gifted actor 
and elocutionist in his College days, labored indefatigably, 
not only to bring his production to the high standard of former 
years but to excel it and make it stand out as one of the chief 
features of the Centennial Celebration. We are sure that all 
who were privileged to witness the remarkable presentation of 
"Macbeth" will agree thatMr. Smith more than accomplished 
his purpose. It is doubtful if any other high school with so 
limited a number to choose from could have equaled Gon- 
zaga's "Macbeth." From rise to fall of curtain there was not 
a single hitch — no delays, no miscues, no stammering, no 
awkward gestures, no cutting of lines — in. a word, all the defects 
common to amateur performances were conspicuously and 
agreeably absent. On the contrary, ease and grace of move- 
ment, clear and distinct articulation, graceful and manly gesture 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 345 

and carriage, appreciation of the meaning and demands of the 
character portrayed, all were constantly in evidence throughout 
the performance. An old actor present paid the Thespians a 
noteworthy tribute when he said, "The play is cleverly inter- 
preted, the stage is beautifully dressed and ■ wonderfully cos- 
tumed. Those boys know how to wear their clothes. They 
look the part, every mother's son of them." 

Too much praise can hardly be given for the beauty of the 
scenery as well as the effectiveness of the stage setting and the 
electrical effects. Mr. John Luitich, ever faithful, always 
efficient and resourceful, the stage manager, certainly added 
new laurels to his already ample crown by his work in ' ' Mac- 
beth." Nor must we forget the splendid aid rendered by the 
College Orchestra under the direction of that splendid musician, 
Mr. Karl Schaefer. The incidental music added in no small 
measure to the "thrill" of the Play and the interludial numbers 
were a treat to musical ears. It is commonly said that "Mac- 
beth" is a one-man play and Gonzaga was especially fortunate 
in possessing that one man in the person of Ralph McD. Robert- 
son, the handsome, talented and versatile senior, who enacted 
the role of Macbeth. Consistent throughout, never over- 
stepping the limits of his part, yet always virile and masterful 
in the stronger scenes, he yet knew how to portray the quaking 
conscience of the murderous monarch with artistic grace and 
finish. Gifted with a fine voice and graceful stage presence. 
Mr. Robertson left little to be desired in his rendition of the 
title role of the immortal tragedy. As Lady Macbeth, Matthew 
Ruddy, '23, already well and favorably known to Gonzaga 
audiences, achieved new and well merited honors. A live, 
manly boy without the least suggestion of the feminine in his 
daily life, Mr. Ruddy deserves all the more credit for the strik- 
ing picture he presented of the treacherous, cat-like temptress 
whose ambitions like her wickedness would brook no limits. 
Mr. Ruddy's characterization was a signal success. Con- 
gratulations are certainly due to Mr. William Ring, '22, who 
played the part of Macduff. This young man is an actor of 
unusual ability; voice, carriage, gesture and interpretation 
seem to be natural gifts with him and he made the most of 



346 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

them, winning golden opinions even from the most critical 
among the audience. A clever piece of character acting was 
presented by Francis X. Welch, '22, writer and musician as 
well as actor, whose double gift of music and mimicry caused 
him to be employed in a two-fold capacity and divide his time 
between the orchestra and the stage. As the tipsy porter, 
Mr. Welch afforded no little merriment. His work was well 
done — not overdone, as commonly happens when the character 
of an intoxicated man has to be portrayed. The three witches, 
too, came in for a generous share of applause, and rightly so. 
They looked their part to perfection, their acting was natural- 
ness itself, their voices those of the veriest hags. The witches 
are known in private life as Harold C. Gardiner, '22; James J, 
Madden, '22; James F. Enright, '23. Duncan, the king, was 
admirably interpreted by John J. O'Connor, '22, whose splendid 
voice and manly presence proved admirable assets in portraying 
the roval character. An old favorite of Gonzaga's audiences, 
was seen in the role of Banquo — Mr. Leo A. Bond, '23, whose 
rendition of this character was pleasing and effective. On 
witnessing Francis Foley's characterization of Malcolm, one 
might well wish he had been cast for a larger part and perhaps 
more suited to his undoubted dramatic ability. That Mr. 
Foley made the most of his part was evident from the favorable 
comments heard in all parts of the house. 

An eleventh hour change assigned the character of Fleance to 
George Garner, a Freshman. Nothing daunted, Mr. Garner 
set to work with a will, and to his credit be it said his portrayal 
was fully equal to the high standard of the other performers. 
Praiseworthy, too, were the efforts of Aloysius B. Connolly, 
'22, as Donalbain; Francis L, Davis, '23, as Lennox; John J.. 
Farrington, '23, as Rosse; Aloysius P. Kane, '24, as Seyton; 
Arthur L. Meegan, '23, as Doctor; Raymond C. Kirchner, 
'23, as Sergeant; Francis C. Brahler, '24, as Servant; James F... 
Herbeck, '24, as attending Lady Macbeth; Bart Walshe. '22, 
and Daniel V. O'Leary, '24, as the gruesome murderers, all of 
whom made the most of comparatively small parts. There. are. 
others whose names do not appear on the program and yet whose 
roles were all important, the lords, officers, soldiers, messengers, 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 34-7 

apparitions and attendants. Their self-sacrificing efforts were 
well rewarded by the fact, thoroughly appreciated among those 
who know anything of stagecraft, that their intelligent and 
skillful cooperation contributed in large measure to the per- 
fection of Gonzaga's Centennial "Macbeth." 



Musical Program 

1. Overture, "Lustspiel" Keler-Bela 

2. Reverie, "Musical Thought " Titlebaum 

3. "Serenade d'Amour" .Yon Blon 

4. Waltz, "Beautiful Danube" Strauss 

5. Selections from "Peer Gynt" Greig 

6. Finale, "Columbia" Bogley 



Special Patrons and Patronesses 

Rt. Rev. Owen B. Corrigan, D. D., Rt. Rev. Thomas J. 
Shahan, D. D., Very Rev. Joseph H. Rockwell, S. J., Rev. 
Richard H. Tierney, S. J., Rev. P. C. Gavan, Rev. J. M. 
McNamara, Rev. W. Coleman Nevils, S. J., Sisters of Notre 
Dame de Namur, Baron de Cartier Marchienne, Princess 
Lubomirska, Hon. W. Bourke Cockran, Hon. Martin Conboy, 
the Misses Mattingly, Miss Elizabeth M. Ready, Miss Katha- 
rine A. Sweeney, Mrs. Nora Coughlin, Mrs. C. F. Donohoe, 
Mrs. William A. Fogarty, Mrs. Daniel J. Foley, Mrs. J. Costello 
Hewett, Mrs. F. T. Hurley, Mrs. M. C. Moore, Mrs. Ella 
Kolopinski Ocherhausen, Dr. and Mrs. James J. Kilroy, Dr. 
and Mrs. D. D. Mulcahy, Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Coppes, Mr. and 
Mrs. Joseph A. Davey, Mr. Aloysius S. Fennell, Sr., Mr. and 
Mrs. J. B. Lanahan, Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Mattingly, 
Mr. and Mrs. Henry I. Ouinn, Trinity College, Trinity Now 
and Then Club. 

Patrons and Patronesses 

Miss Mary L. Coleman, Mrs. Michael M. Doyle, Miss 
Euphemia A. Hess, Miss Annie A. Hill, Miss Felicita G. Lynch, 
Miss Clare McNally, Miss Mary A. Mulquin, the Misses 
Raedy, Mrs. Robert B. Bacon, Mrs. Mary Jane Becker, Mrs, 



348 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

J. E. Connelly, Mrs. Ella M. Donoghue, Mrs. John D. Donovan, 
Mrs. Thomas J. Donovan, Mrs. Rossa F. Downing, Mrs. J. J. 
Fuller, Sr., Mrs. S. A. Gentry, Mrs. Martin P. Keane, Mrs. 
James C. McGuire, Mrs. T. B. McNamee, Mrs. George J. 
May, Mrs. R. Michalowicz, Mrs. T. C. Mitchell, Mrs. John 
Murphy, Mrs. Joseph A. Petty, Mrs. B. F. Saul, Mrs. H. 
Winship Wheatley, Mrs. W. A. Wimsatt, Dr. and Mrs. W. P. 
Kenealy, Dr. and Mrs. L. Brison Norris, Capt. and Mrs. Chas. 
T. Peck, Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Genau, Mr. and Mrs. M. F. 
Kelly, Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Miller, Mr. Samuel Ross, Mr. 
Allan E. Walker. 



WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 
Mass of Thanksgiving at 9.00 A. M. 

Celebrant Very Rev. Joseph H. Rockwell, S. J. 

Provincial of the Maryland-New York Province of the 
Society of Jesus. 



Academic Exercises Commemorating the Hundredth 

Anniversary of the Founding of Gonzaga 

College at 8.15 P. M. 

College Auditorium 

The Right Reverend Denis J. O'Connell, D. D., presiding 

I. Processional, "Coronation March" Meyerbeer 

II. Overture, "Orpheus " Offenbach 

III. Introductory Address Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J. 

IV. English Ode Rev. Owen A. Hill, S. J., '80 

V. Latin Ode Rev. Thomas B. Barrett, S. J., 76 

VI. Greek Ode. Rev. Thomas A. Becker, S. J., '87 

VII. Vocal Solo, "A Century Song for Gonzaga," 

Mr. Thomas A. Cantwell, '05 

VIII. Aria, " Egyptien " Laurendeau 

IX. Conferring of Honoraty Degrees 

X. Potpourri, "Modern Melodies" Passim 

XI. Oration Hon. W. Bourke Cockran 

XII. Recessional, "Festival March" Mendelssohn 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 349 

DEGREES CONFERRED 

Doctor of Laws 

Senator William Musgrave Calder, A.B., A.M., LL.B. 

Hon. William Bourke Cockran, A.B., A.M., LL.B., LL.D. 

Admiral William Shepherd Benson, A.B., A.M., LL.D. 

Rev. Eugene Aloysius Hannan, A.B., A.M. 

Rev. John Michael McNamara, A.B., A.M., S.T.B. 

Rev. William Aloysius Cahill, A.B., S.T.L., S.T.D. 

Hon. Wendell Phillips Stafford, A.B., A.M., LL.B. 

Hon. Frank Patrick Walsh, A.B., LL.B. 

James Stanislaus Easby-Smith,A.B., A.M., LL.B., LL.M., LL.D. 

Bennett Sewall Jones, A.B., A.M., LL.B. 

Daniel Dominic Mulcahy, M.D., A.B. 

Charles Ignatius Griffith, M.D., A.B., A.M. 

Martin Conboy, A.B., A.M., LL.B., LL.M., LL.D. 

Doctor of Letters 

Rev. Albert Edward Smith, A.B., A.M. 
Michael Williams 

Master of Arts 
Charles Magruder Mattingly, A.B., A.M., LL.B., LL.M. 

Following are the commendatory addresses of the 
Reverend Vice-President in presenting the candi- 
dates for the honorary degrees conferred by Gonzaga 
College at the Academic Exercises : 

SENATOR WILLIAM MUSGRAVE CALDER 

Situated close as it is to the Halls of National Government, 
Gonzaga College has ever had its eyes trained upon the illus- 
trious statesmen who gather there to deliberate and legislate 
for our Country's welfare. The history of our Congress is a 
brilliant one, yet rarely if ever in its entire distinguished annals 
has the United States Senate stood out more gloriously and 
merited more appreciation at the hands of the American people 
than at the present hour when it has so recently emerged vic- 
torious from, the contest to preserve intact from dangerous en- 



350 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

tangling alliances and from the meshes of European intrigue 
our beloved country. This fact alone and the faithful and 
distinguished part he took in the contest, would amply suffice 
for Gonzaga to honor herself by inscribing upon her rolls the 
name of the Senior Senator of New York. But there are other 
and more personal ties binding the illustrious Senator to Gon- 
zaga, and persuading her to enroll him among her chosen sons — 
he stands today a tried and true friend of our institution and 
hence it is that Gonzaga College takes pleasure in investing 
with the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honorable William Mus- 
grave Calder, Senior Senator of New York. 

HONORABLE WILLIAM BOURKE COCKRAN 

Not alone among the Senators does America number noble 
and illustrious sons, and Gonzaga her faithful friends. In the 
other house of Congress no less, are to be found men whom 
Gonzaga honors herself in honoring. Foremost among these 
is one whose fifty years of residence in America, filled with 
meritorious labor for the land of his adoption, whose golden 
vein of eloquence marking him as one of the few mighty orator- 
ical geniuses of our land, whose brilliancy and integrity at the 
bar, whose wisdom in the council chamber, whose deep and 
unaffected piety in private life, and whose steadfast friendship 
manifested by frequent acts of service, amply recommend him 
to the faculty of Gonzaga as a candidate for the Degree of 
Doctor of Laws. With this degree, therefore, acting under our 
collegiate charter, we now proceed to adorn the name of the 
Honorable William Bourke Cockran, Representative in Con- 
gress of the Empire State. 

ADMIRAL WILLIAM SHEPHERD BENSON 

Perhaps no branch of our Service has won more uninterrupted 
praise, more undying glory, than our gallant navy. Others 
may have their brilliant deeds but they are commingled with 
pages that one could well wish unwritten. The record of our 
navy, however, is bright, unsmirched, uncrossed by a single 
shadow. We take it then that none shall say us nay when we 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 351 

declare that no member of that whole gallant body can be more 
fittingly singled out for special distinction at the hands of 
Gonzaga College than the man whose long life of faithful, exem- 
plary service was becomingly crowned during the late mighty 
conflict by assignment as chief of naval operations, and who 
afterwards filled with distinction the important post of head of 
the United States Shipping Board. And not less than his merit 
as Naval Commander is his sterling worth as a patriotic citizen, 
as a devoted son of Holy Mother Church, as President of the 
National Council of Catholic Men, and as an honorable gentle- 
man throughout the whole course of his long and estimable 
career. Hence it is that the trustees of Gonzaga take a peculiar 
pleasure in gracing their roster with the justly celebrated name 
of America's greatest living naval officer, a name that shrinks 
from no comparison with America's most illustrious sons, and 
count it a high privilege to confer the degree of Doctor of Laws 
upon Admiral William Shepherd Benson. 

REVEREND EUGENE ALOYSIUS HANNAN 

There is one quality above all that an educational institution 
should appreciate and honor in every signal way within its 
power — it is zeal for education — we mean education of the 
highest and truest type. And~ in the distinguished Rector of 
the neighboring Church of St. Martin, Gonzaga College, as 
indeed all Washington City, beholds a priest of keenest, in- 
tensest interest in all things of the mind but above all in the 
thorough Christian education of youth. Prominent in educa- 
tional circles, a constant figure in all intellectual gatherings he 
has known likewise how to reduce his principles to practice 
in his own model parochial school ; that school which, year by 
year, under his careful and inspiriting tutelage, has carried 
off scholastic honors without number within the District of 
Columbia. Our own roster and that of our Sister-College, St. 
John's, bear ample witness to the large number of scholarships 
won in open competition by the boys of St. Martin's School. 
And so we take pleasure in promoting to the degree of Doctor 
of Laws this stalwart promoter of the education of youth, 
Reverend Eugene Aloysius Hannan. 



352 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

REVEREND JOHN MICHAEL McNAMARA 

The unprecedented expansion of Catholicity throughout our 
land calls for the energetic, Church-building priest no less than 
the brilliant sacred orator and faithful pastor of souls. And 
in the present candidate all three titles to honor and reward 
meet in high degree — a zealous pastor, a distinguished preacher, 
an energetic organizer and builder, an inspiring example to 
clergy and laity alike, he stands forth as one whom Gonzaga 
may well inscribe in her bead-roll of fame. Fittingly then, the 
trustees and faculty of Gonzaga College have decreed that the 
degree of Doctor of Laws be conferred on Reverend John 
Michael McNamara. 

REVEREND WILLIAM ALOYSIUS CAHILL 

Sociology is in the very air ; we are told it is to be the science 
of the future. But practical sociology, i.e., work done for the 
dependent, the defective and the delinquent classes — this has 
ever been in the past and is today the very breath of her nostrils 
to the Catholic Church and her devoted clergy. And it is for 
his great practical, personal work in charity, and his organizing 
of others to work in various fields of sociological endeavor, 
even more than for his rare ability as an orator and his splendid 
talents as a theologian, as well as his benefactions to Gonzaga 
College, that Alma Mater has deemed it fitting to add to his 
present doctorate of Sacred Theology that of the doctorate of 
Laws, which by letters patent, sealed by our College seal, we 
do now formally bestow on Reverend William Aloysius Cahill. 

HONORABLE WENDELL PHILLIPS STAFFORD 

The whirligig of time brings in many changes. Once the poet 
was in the ascendant. His was the zenith of honor and dis- 
tinction. But alas in these rude days of industrial advance, 
financial expansion and crass material development, the finer 
things of life only too often suffer eclipse, and the divine art of 
poesy boasts but few devotees. Happily, however, those who 
still burn incense at the older shrine, if fewer, are all the more 
ardent. And Gonzaga College is adhering to the ancient tradi- 
tion in singling out a modern votary of the Muses — one who has 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 353 

published exquisite gems of poetic thought and imagery — "a 
sweet singer of soulful songs." But not alone in poetry does 
he excel — as a lecturer on literary and aesthetic subjects, as a 
gallant exponent of the Faith it is his joy and boast to have 
found — and above all as an eminent jurist, he richly merits any 
meed of praise Gonzaga has it within her power to bestow. 
Hence it is with singular joy the faculty and trustees of Gonzaga 
inscribe upon her official register as Doctor of Laws the Honor- 
able Wendell Phillips Stafford. 

HONORABLE FRANK PATRICK WALSH 

Not the least among Gonzaga's claims to fame and distinction, 
is the record of her sons in battling for freedom and the right. 
In the late war especially Gonzaga stood proudly forth in the 
number of students and alumni that she sent to do battle for 
the rights of freedom and the cause of democracy. And con- 
sequently it is with special eagerness and zest she welcomes 
to her bosom tonight one who stands pre-eminent in America 
for the magnificent efforts put forth by him, not only during 
the world-conflict for the liberty and rights of all small nations, 
but more especially now (when so many have laid down their 
arms) for the splendid fight he is still making that the one 
nation that still remains in bondage despite the thousands of 
Americans who died that men might be free — a splendid fight 
for the small nation from whose shores so many of Gonzaga's 
past and present faculty and students draw their descent — • 
the small nation that of all those concerned in the war has 
suffered the bitterest wrongs and that for the longest time ; the 
small nation that has given of its brain and brawn with un- 
stinted bounty to build up our own America. For his gallant 
fight for the application of American principles to the labor 
question at home and to this small nation abroad, we feel that 
Gonzaga may justly set the seal of her approval by conferring 
the doctorate of Laws upon Honorable Frank Patrick Walsh. 

JAMES STANISLAUS EASBY-SMITH 

Few men there are to whom it is given to attain rare dis- 
tinction in many lines. Distinction as a classical scholar, 



354 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

evidenced by translation into English verse of the lyric geniuses 
of ancient Greece, distinction as a historian, the author of 
several authoritative works, distinction as a lawyer and advo- 
cate of unblemished fame, distinction as professor and lecturer 
in university halls, and above all distinction as an adminis- 
trator in handling all the complicated machinery of our selec- 
tive draft with its millions of conscripts in the late world 
conflict, and with such singular success as to call forth highest 
praise from our Secretary of War — to win distinction in all 
these varying fields is itself a rarer distinction than falls to the 
lot of the most of men. And hence it is that Alma Mater feels 
that she is not adding distinction, but bestowing it upon her- 
self when she inscribes on her roll of Doctors of Laws the 
name of James Stanislaus Easby-Smith. 

BENNETT SEWALL JONES, ESQ. 

"Advocatus sed non latro" runs the old eleventh century 
hymn of praise of St. Ives, a sainted lawyer of the olden time. 
Whatever lawyers and jurists of other times and climes may 
have merited of censure, Gonzaga's contribution to the legal 
profession has been one of singularly high-minded and irre- 
proachable men, men whose natural talents and acquired legal 
lore have not been unworthy of their moral gifts. And among 
all her lawyer sons, there is none who reflects greater credit 
upon his College or in whom his College takes greater or juster 
pride than that jurist of distinction, that fine scholar in other 
departments of learning as well, that gentleman of exquisite 
courtesy and culture, that most devoted alumnus upon whom 
Gonzaga College now confers the Degree of Doctor of Laws, 
Bennett Sewall Jones. 

DANIEL DOMINIC MULCAHY, M. D. 

"Honor the physician for the need thou hast of him," is the 
injunction of Holy Scripture, and fittingly has the Sacred writer 
laid this injunction upon us. Yet even if there were no such 
sacred command, Gonzaga College would feel that in the case 
of the present degree, honor was personally and necessarily 
due — a painstaking post-graduate student in New York, a 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 355 

careful, conscientious observer in the world-famous clinic of 
Vienna, a graduate in pharmacy as well as in medicine; a most 
devoted and disinterested practitioner for many years in 
Washington, he has endeared himself by his quiet unassuming 
manner and spirit of deep devotion to the sick and afflicted, 
at the same time winning golden opinions for his rare skill and 
ability. Though not an alumnus of the College, he has for 
well nigh a score of years given valuable services day and night 
to our community. It is fitting, then, that he be enumerated 
in the honor roll of Gonzaga. And thus it is with deep appreci- 
ation and singular satisfaction Gonzaga College confers the 
Doctorate of Laws upon Daniel Dominic Mulcahy. 

CHARLES IGNATIUS GRIFFITH, M. D. 

All good things, it is said, go in pairs, and hence it is that 
Gonzaga in selecting members of the medical profession for 
distinction at her centenary, finds two names of eminent and 
highly deserving physicians to wreathe with the laurel of the 
doctor's crown. An alumnus of Gonzaga, a valiant battler 
in his early youth in the bivouac of life, a brilliant student and 
even more brilliant professor in the medical department of 
our sister institution — Georgetown University — a high officer 
of the Knights of Columbus, and an earnest and enthusiastic 
promoter of all the manifold works of benevolence and patriot- 
ism of that splendid organization, an ideally faithful alumnus 
of Gonzaga, Alma Mater pays affectionate tribute to his many 
merits by bestowing the Doctorate of Laws on Charles Ignatius 
Griffith. 

MARTIN CONBOY, ESQ. 

Happiness such as is that of Alma Mater at the glad termina- 
tion of one hundred years of fruitful labor can best be mani- 
fested by widely diffusing itself among as great a number as 
possible. Yet if but few there were to feel the genial warmth 
of Alma Mater's love and tenderness on this momentous 
occasion, one name would stand conspicuous among that few. 
An illustrious alumnus of our College, and crowned by her with 
the Master's wreath, he passed to our sister institution, George- 
town University, there receiving in addition to Bachelor and 



356 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Master of Laws the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. As a 
lawyer he has ever been pre-eminent in all the varied gifts 
and excellencies that go to make the ideal man-of-law. After 
winning the fairest encomiums of peace, he acquired fresh 
distinction by the efficiency and wholeheartedness with which 
he administered the draft law in his adopted State of New 
York. As a protagonist of truth against the disseminators of 
Socialistic error he has likewise merited richly at the hands of 
the institution which first formed his budding genius and now 
rejoices in the happy fruition of his splendid gifts. We clothe 
with the degree of Doctor of Laws, Martin Conboy of New 
York. 

REVEREND ALBERT EDWARD SMITH 

This, we are told on all sides, is pre-eminently the day of the 
journalist. Journalism is the one really powerful form of 
literature, and indeed we see everywhere around us the mighty 
results, for good or evil, of the all-pervading influence of the 
press St. Paul, that mighty genius and apostle, if he were 
living today, we are assured, would change the methods of his 
apostolate and devote himself exclusively to journalism. 
Whatever we may conjecture of the Master, Gonzaga College 
is glad to recognize among her alumni a loyal disciple of St. 
Paul, a true emulator of his zeal and devotedness, who has 
given himself to Christian journalism and merits in consequence 
from his old Alma Mater recognition for the spurs he has won 
in this unwonted field of Christian enterprise. Co-author of 
the biography of our late beloved Cardinal, and director and 
editor of the "Baltimore Catholic Review," a paper which 
under his gifted management has enlarged its sphere of influ- 
ence and widened its scope, Alma Mater gladly bestows the 
well-merited degree of Doctor of Letters on Reverend Albert 
Edward Smith. 

MICHAEL WILLIAMS 

Interesting and pleasant it is to watch the development of a 
genius as it slowly unfolds itself like a blossoming flower to the 
observer's gaze. The man whom Gonzaga is about to honor 
is such a study for all who can read aright the genesis of high 
character. Those who know him well and who have been 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 357 

privileged to follow closely the gradual evolution of his literary 
genius as he slowly fought his way back from agnosticism and 
anarchy to the true Faith of his childhood's days have felt that 
over and above the record of a soul's struggle — and that is 
always the meat of literature — there was in the chronicle some 
of the best journalism of our pre-eminently journalistic age. 
And consequently one who had thus gained leadership in the 
journalistic world may well merit at the hands of Gonzaga full 
recognition of his work and worth. And when we turn from 
journalism to earnest and fruitful labor for country and civiliza- 
tion in the late great conflict, we are met with the. proofs of 
signal ability manifested by ceaseless activity among the 
Catholic War Workers and the National Catholic Welfare 
Council, an activity which did so much to inspire and organize 
Catholic welfare work both during the great war and since. 
Many works of rare literary ability and charm have emanated 
from his fertile brain and pen, of which "The High Romance" 
and "American Catholics in the War" will rise at once to 
memory. And therefore Gonzaga feels that she honors herself 
in advancing to the degree of Doctor of Letters, Michael 
Williams. 

CHARLES MAGRUDER MATTINGLY, ESQ. 

Closely allied to the degree of Doctor of Letters is that of 
Master of Arts, the highest degree that in ordinary course many 
universities bestow. And this degree Gonzaga is now to confer 
on one of her most popular and talented sons. A graduate in 
the Class of 1902, Alma Mater sent him forth, his mind en- 
riched with learning, his heart the home of sterling virtues. 
With keen -sighted vision prophetic of his future success, he 
chose at once the profession for which nature as well as educa- 
tion had so richly endowed him. After pursuing with distinc- 
tion his legal studies in the Georgetown University Law School, 
the young Bachelor of Arts was duly graduated and chose as 
the field of his future labors the city of Cleveland, Ohio. There 
he has made an honored name for himself, no less by reason of 
his judicial attainments than by his splendid eloquence and 
conspicuous probity. A credit to Gonzaga, Alma Mater takes 



358 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

just pride in bestowing the degree of Master of Arts on her 
loyal and distinguished son, Charles Magruder Mattingly. 

THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS BY THE REVEREND 
PRESIDENT 

We are gathered here tonight to celebrate the hundredth 
birthday of Gonzaga College. It has fallen to my happy lot, 
however undeserved, to be President of Gonzaga at this aus- 
picious time and it is your happy privilege as Alumni and 
friends of Gonzaga to share in her joy on this occasion. 

These are glorious days. The seed time has passed. We are 
reaping the harvest. From as far as New England in the 
North, Oklahoma in the West and Panama in the South, 
Gonzaga's sons come loyally trooping home to pay homage to 
their Alma Mater and to renew their strength like the eagle, 
by spending once again a few hours within her hallowed walls. 
Dignitaries of Church and State have honored Gonzaga with 
their presence these days. Former Rectors and members of 
the Faculty have shown by their presence their continued 
interest in Gonzaga and she deserves it all for she has had 
a glorious history, she has achieved great triumphs and her 
history and the good she has done will not be known in full till 
the last trumpet shall sound. 

To read the roll of Gonzaga's students in the pioneer days is 
to read the names of Washington's prominent citizens for a 
generation, as one historian recently wrote us. To quote from 
another letter, we are told that Gonzaga in the men she has 
given to the Jesuit Order has a higher average for talent than 
any other school in the country. And in Washington today 
there are no citizens more talented, more respected than 
Gonzaga's Alumni. 

True it is that of late years we have been overtopped in size 
of buildings and number of students by other schools. So too 
are some of our Thirteen Original States outclassed in size and 
opulence by their newer Western Sisters, and yet it will ever 
be true that our great Republic owes its priceless liberty to the 
Thirteen Original States. So too will you never strip Gonzaga 
of the glory that is hers of being a pioneer in the educational 
field here in the heart of the nation. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 359 

Nor have her achievements yet ceased. She needs not nor 
ambitions vast expansion in her student roll or in the size of 
her buildings. Not in her student roll, because personal con- 
tact with great teachers is seldom attained in large schools 
where too often the great teacher is set aside for research work 
with a handful of post graduate students. Nor does Gonzaga 
wish vast buildings. She does not forget that the greatest 
scholarship the world has ever known was nurtured in Athens 
where geniuses such as Plato and Socrates and Zeno and 
Aristotle, names that even yet conjure up visions of gigantic 
mentality, held their classes in groves or the porticoes of 
temples, where none of the equipment or marvelous material 
resources were at hand which so many today are prone to 
imagine are essential to education. 

To make a college great one thing is needed — great teachers — 
and these Gonzaga has had by the score, men of talent, men of 
character who lived what they taught. These men God blessed 
with good material and of their pupils they made men. They 
made men because they recognized the true purpose of educa- 
tion in all its fulness, which is to draw out the threefold power 
of man : the physical power that the body may be strong and the 
brain sound to be a fit instrument for the soul ; the mental power, 
that error which stalks abroad in the land may readily be recog- 
nized, rejected, vanquished because the mind is made for 
truth; they drilled the mind with hard exercises that some- 
thing worth while might remain to the student, a sturdy mental- 
ity, after he has forgotten what was between the covers of his 
textbooks ; the moral power, above all, that evil might be resisted 
because our wills are made for good. Gonzaga's teachers made 
men because they recognized that we have not here a lasting 
dwelling place, our true home is beyond the stars, and so they 
taught these men to become good citizens of earth with the 
sole purpose that they might thus become good citizens of 
Heaven. 

Yes, glorious has been Gonzaga's past in the real men that 
she has formed in every walk of life. Glorious is her present 
as her sons gather around her to share in her joy and to pay 
her the precious tribute of their gratitude. That her future 



360 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

may be even more glorious is the earnest prayer of her Faculty 
and of you, I am sure, her friends! 

Gonzaga College and the Yesterdays of a Hundred Years 
The English Ode by Father Hill, S. J.: 

I 

A hundred years of honest toil, 

In hearts that proved responsive soil, 
Becoming tribute at some artist's hand, 
On triumph-day Gonzaga keeps, demand. 

And first her rulers claim our song. 

These builded well and builded strong. 
While lesser glory with swift time decays, 
Their fame is lasting as eternal days; 
Gonzaga lives to shout aloud their praise. 

They kept the torch of learning bright, 
And now enjoy 

Unbroken peace, perpetual light 
In love's employ. 

II 

And next in slow procession come, 

Her teachers bent, and bowed, and dumb. 
Their solemn silence is more eloquent 
Than speech in temple or in class they sent, 

To loosen penitential tears 

Or thunder into pupils' ears. 
Their present silence whispers listening hearts, 
Discoursing sweet what wisdom grace imparts, 
Where love of God is letters; virtue, arts. 

While mortal men, to few they preach 
And truths rehearse; 

Immortal now, they live to teach 
The universe. 

Ill 

I watch their charges seeking truth, 
In all the flush of buoyant youth ; 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 361 

Untamed savages, till puissant rule 
Subdues them to the discipline of school ; 

Then settling down to sober care 

And earnest labor, to prepare 
Their minds and hearts for stout campaigns ahead. 
All, all for justice's sake fought fast and bled; 
And all were gallant winners, quick or dead. 

Some, hidden now from mortal ken , 
But answer roll ; 

They lived, they died Gonzaga men ; 
God rest each soul ! 

IV 

God followed them to school and out, 

Truth kept them from religious doubt. 
Gonzaga's doors are ever open wide 
To Jesus, Joseph and his Virgin-bride. 

And piety is more esteemed 

Than all the love fools ever dreamed. 
Faith keeps the demon pride in tight control; 
With eyes intent upon time's nether goal, 
Her care of body yields to care of soul. 

God luring them at every turn, 
Her children die; 

With God for first and last concern, 
They hell defy. 

V 

Our hearts' first love, the highest good, 

Mind e'er conceived or understood, 
Is God; and next to God the neighbor comes. 
Because our country every neighbor sums, 

Devotion to Old Glory's folds 

Our tight affection has and holds. 
Our country's battle-flag, the Saviour's cross, 
Our richest treasures are. All else is dross, 
And, come or go, is not reputed loss. 

Twin emblems with a sacred light 
Our visions fill, 



362 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

The steepled rood, the dome of white 
On neighboring hill. 

VI 
Maintaining still that truth is God, 
That seeming science is but fraud, 
On simple faith our knowledge all we build. 
Reposing trust in Him, who seas in anger stilled. 
No phonograph more faithful spells 
The singer's song, or clearer tells 
The tale confided to its secret ears, 
Than Scripture renders through the listening years 
The voice of God to him who docile hears. 
Each page, a record most exact 

Of message sent 
To earth, and by God's wisdom backed 
To full extent. 

VII 
Faith is God's word; and science, man's. 
Revealing the Creator's plans; 
And, as between God's word and word of man, 
Truth camps with God, since first the world began. 
When science follows faith, we stand 
Her servitors in heart and hand. 
True science never yet the faith denied, 
False science did; and swift the death it died, 
A victim to the truth it rash defied. 
Gonzaga loved, and still shall love, 

To seek the truth 
At God's own lips, truth's fountain of 
Perennial youth. 

VIII 
Leal sons, to tender mother true, 
Gonzaga shouts aloud to you: 
Hold fast to duty until life departs; 
Look to your bodies, and your minds, and hearts. 
With greedy care guard well your health, 
That richer heritage than wealth 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 363 

The godly living of your sires bequeathed. 
The sword of truth keep sharp, and keep unsheathed, 
Your years with honor blent and virtue wreathed. 
Live flights above the ignoble crowd, 

And then, oh then, 
You're sons to make your mother proud — - 
Gonzaga men! 

Owen A. Hill, S. J. 

Ad Almam Matrem, Collegium Gonzagaeum, 
Carmen Saeculare 

The Latin Ode by Father Barrett, S. J. : 

Laetemur omnes ; Mater amabilis 
Annos celebrat centum ab origine, 
Prolesque circumstat fidelis, 
Deliciae simul ac corona. 

Quis non ovabit? Mater ovat bona, 
Et filiorum gaudia personant; 
Haec festa sunt fontes amoris, 
Gaudia sunt lacrimaeque rerum. 

Cernit juventam cuncta pati citam, 
Cernit senectam cedere nesciam, 
Gestitque se Matrem vocari, 
Matris amor tener unit omnes. 

Nos alma Mater suaviter acciet 
Notas ad aulas; excipit: "Adsumus;" 
Agnoscit et vultus suorum 

Nomine quemque vocans vetusto. 

"Ridete," dicit, " discipuli mei, 
Ultro triumphet pax; amor imperet; 
Curisque non aegre relictis 
Este hodie pueri beati. 



364 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Quaecumque vobis sors vaga contigit, 
Angusta egestas, laetave faustitas, 
Est una cui vos estis omnes 
Divitiis pretiosiores." 

Loyola Magnus percupiens el ecus 
Augere Christi viribus acrius 
Conatus est Ipsi lucrari 
Nobile cor pueri innocentis. 

Pro corde vidit bella geri undique; 
Praeda est cor istud. Cor pueri tenens 
Est Rector invictus futuri, 
Indubius dominator orbis. 

Mundus duobus floret amoribus ; 
Hinc civitates sunt in eo duae ; 
Unius est Christo sacrare, 
Alterius temerare corda. 

Haec corda fallax insipientium 
Doctrina reddit perfida patriae, 
Et jura naturae Deique 
Ejicit e medio, negatque; 

Ausu nefando praecavet ut pia 
Corda innocentum sint sine numine, 
Exsultat e coelis tulisse 

Astra, jubar radiosque solis. 

Decepta pubes nunc jacet ; exsulat 
Pax alma terris; Religio manet 
Spes sola ; Amor regnet ; Fidesque 
Sancta feret populis triumphum. 

Flammescat ignis, quo pueri calent, 
Divinus : ardet jam pater ; et bonae 
Cor matris ignescit ; Deoque 
A pueris renovatur orbis ; 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 365 

Ardore sacro cum puer aestuat, 
Fornacis instar calfacit omnia, 
Illuminat, pellit tenebras 
Laetitiaque domos adimplet; 

Fit praeco Christi; vita, probatio 
Divinitatis; praesidium est, decus 
Ecclesiae; Magnes reducens 
Pectora ad Omnipotentis aras. 

Ignatii mens nota sodalibus 
Commovit illos jam Patris aemulos: 
Altaque Washingtonii Urbe 
Aedificare scholam juventae ; 

Sacrare cunctos discipulos suos 
Christo, voventes se dare victimas, 
Ut cordibus puris eorum 
Exoriatur imago Christi. 

Ignatii ars est vincere se prius, 
Antiquitatis carpere dein opes, 
Illasque depurgare caute, 
Ne noceant pueris pudicis. 

Longos per annos haec schola januas 
Pandit juventae discere quae velit 
Nolitve ; complerunt magistri 
Grande ministerium docendi. 

Ad te quotannis ingreditur puer, 
Mater; — sequestrum jam tibi traditur; 
Inter parentes atque coelum 
Huicce salutis eris sequestra. 

Hunc educabis, — cor sitit omnia — 
Quocumque duces, Te sequitur cito; 
Frenare debebis volantem, 
Cogit eum puerilis ardor. 



366 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Eheu! sed alter non studet, est piger; 
Hie puniatur suaviter; inscium 
Urgere debebis morantem, 

Hunc fac amet, quia amans studebit. 

Quis non amabit currere per vias, 
Ouando triumphans Caesar ab ultima 
Mundi plaga Victor redibit, 
Excipiente virum Urbe digne? 

Quis non amabit cernere Trojadem 
Utrumque et agmen belligerans ? Puer 
Aspectat heroes et Urbes 
Aspiciensque puer fit heros, 

Fit civis Orbis. Graecia, Italia 
Tradunt libenter civica jura ei; 
Haec promptus exercet ; novusque 
Historiae reseratur Ordo. 

Ex asse magnis perfruitur bonis 
Spectatus haeres: arte, scientia, 
Omni vetustatis decore ; 

Praeteritum in puero revivit. 

Audax Achilles pugnat ; Horatius 
Ridet facetus ; Tullius intonat ; 
Asportat Aeneas parentem; 
Grandiaque eloquitur Pericles. 

Cor nationis cor pueri est ; puer 
Et nation es sunt quod amant; puer 
Si corde sit Christo sacratus, 
Natio erit sacra corde Christo. 

Loyola novit corda nutantia 
Castae juventae dirigere ad Deum; 
Dilecta Gonzagae propago 
Gestit amare Deum per aevum. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 367 

Et filiorum corda calentia 
Loyola novit segniter urere ; 
Ut sacret ad munus magistros, 
Hique sacrare queant alumnos. 

Exempla ducunt per levia, aspera; 
Collega Christi pertrahit ad crucem, 
Ut Martyr, inflammat scholares; 
Quo praeit ipse, sequuntur ipsi. 

Multos per annos sueta peti stetit 
Mater fidelis muneribus suis, 
Magnaque paupertate pressa 
Dives amore fuit studentum, 

Dives magistris et ducibus suis : 
Vixere fortes insuperabiles 
Vivuntque, Gonzagaea pubes, 

Nam memores amor esse mandat. 

Kohlmannus audax pro patria et Deo 
Rexit magister primitus has scholas ; 
Accitus hinc Roman futurum 
Pontificem edocuit Leonem. 

Ast inter omnes unus et unicus 
Lyncaeus alta stat sapientia 
Ornatus, dilectus magister, 
Quern siluisse nefas putarem. 

Horas vel armos quis numeraverit, 
Quos sponte nostris ipse dedit scholis? 
Sex lustra Gonzagae dicavit 
Egregius juvenum magister. 

Est alter ausus magnanime ; novas 
Exstruxit aedes ; et vetus et recens 
Collegium grates parenti 

Jam referunt meritas secundo. 



368 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Loyola formans ingenium docet 
Pugnare dulci pro patria, mori ; 
Et monstrat ardenti juventae 
Militiam digito futuram. 

Ignatii sunt castra Dei scholae; 
In bella mittit discipulos; eunt 
Hinc milites Christi parati 
Praelia mire Dei superbe. 

Quocumque campi sanguine militum 
Sancto rigantur, summa pericula 
Victura Loyolaea pubes 
Vel peritura sibi petivit. 

Crux signat illos; nobilitans vigor 
Confortat artus e cruce profluens; 

Crux arma, crux spes, crux triumphus 
Causa, corona beata, crux est. 

Praecepta Christi sensaque dirigunt 
Jam corda eorum vera petentium ; 
Ecclesiae gemmae viriles 

Signa levant cruris usque in altum. 

Exempla ducunt; belligerantium 
Est meta Christus; Dux Aloysius 
Coelestis, e prosapia alta 

Progenitus dedit in Patronum 

Nobis seipsum. Credidit et suos 
Nobis honores, alma sodalitas; 
Reddamus integros eosdem, 
O socii comitesque cari. 

Gonzaga Mater, jam tibi filii 
Adstamus omnes hie, juvenes, senes, 
Portamus e vita maniplos 
Historiam recitamus ipsi. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 369 

Postes apertae sunt, redeuntibus 
Extensa matris brachia amantia, 
Arridet exclamans: "Venite 
O pueri, meae opes amorque." 

Ecquid moramur ! Victor adest timens 
Vitaque victus ! Quemque pudet sui ; 
Majora debebamus ipsi, 

Se sua quae dedit ipsa nobis. 

Nos nostra, mater, cuncta damus tibi; 
Indigna te sunt omnia quae damus, 
Indigna sint : Mater receptat ; 
Dignat, inaurat amor vetusta. 

Nos erudisti quaerere in omnibus 
Christum; atque sancti fida gregis sui 
Membra esse; pastorem supremum 
Viribus indomitis tueri. 

Tu civitatis legibus obsequi 
Nos erudisti, cernere commodum 
Commune respersumque stellis 
Jam sine labe tenere Signum; 

Curare ut illinc servitium exsulet 
Quocumque in auris conspicitur volans ; 
Regnet libertas; ibique 
Justitia atque amor arma trudant. 

cara Mater, progenies tua, 
Defuncta, vivens, se tibi consecrat; 
Et corde devoto precatur 

Omnipotentem ut amore Patris 

Te ditet almo, sospitet, ampliet, 
Donis supernis muneret, ambiat; 
Te prole fortunet fideli, 

Teque tuosque beet benigne. 



370 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Loyola noscat nos sobolem suam; 
Gonzaga gaudens ait ; "Pater, haec tua 
Est vera Washingtonii urbis 
Progenies Aloysiana." 

Washingtonii, 
a. d. XVI Kal. Dee. MDCCCCXXI. 

To Alma Mater 

English Translation (R. J. M., Woodstock College.) 
1—4: 

It is a day of gladness. Our cherished Alma Mater rounds 
out full five score years and in the presence of her devoted 
children finds her wealth of happiness, her wreath of glory. 
It is a day of exultation, Alma Mater triumphs as she rehearses 
the proud successes of her sons. Their honors are the well- 
springs of her love, a love that has swelled with their joys and 
wept with their sorrows. Here, her kindly eye meets the eyes 
of her impulsive youthful sons; there, of her staunch "Old 
Guard." She is proud of such valiant sonship and binds her 
children heart to heart by the cords of her Mother-love. 
Gently her voice summons us all back to her well-known 
halls; she welcomes our answering "Present!"; recognizes her 
every child, and calls us one and all by old half-forgotten 
names. 

5—6: 

"My dearly loved children," she says, "be glad today with 
me. Let peace reign supreme among us and love rule every 
heart. Become once more a troup of happy boys with never a 
thought of care. Whether wayward Fortune has plagued you 
with want or gilded your ladder of life, to me you are all pre- 
cious with a love no riches can measure." 

7—11: 

Great Loyola, burning with zeal for God's greater glory, 
strove with might and main to win for Him the upright heart 
of spotless boyhood. Battling for this heart were the hosts of 
war and waste and the heart was the prize of victory. The 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 371 

master who moulds the heart of the boy, becomes the dominant 
force in making the man, the unquestioned wielder of world 
power. For the hearts of the world are wooed by two out- 
standing loves; and so there arise two strongholds of opposed 
ideals — the one, a thirst to consecrate all hearts to Christ; the 
other, a passion to desecrate them by sin. Insidious apostles 
of error lead astray all sin-stained hearts and make them turn 
traitor to their country, reject the rights of nature and of 
God, the Deity's domain deny. They bring into play every 
deceitful wile to steal clean, manly boyhood from the protecting 
influence of God. Gleefully they strip the boy's heaven of its 
stars, its radiance and its beams of kindly light. 

12—13: 

The youth of the nation is encompassed with deceit. Now 
that hallowed peace is not to be found at home, Religion stands 
out as the watch-tower of his hopes. Love must be the inspira- 
tion of his life and deep, abiding Faith the charm by which he 
will preserve honor for his dear ones. Flame up, oh spark 
divine! Burn with ardor the spirits of our youth! The fiery 
tongues leap from our father's heart and stir responsive fires 
in our loving mother's breast, while the consuming fervor of 
our young men renews for God the face of the earth. 

14—15 : 

A young man, inflamed with the desire of God's glory, is a 
fiery furnace radiating on all sides the glow of his life, the 
brilliancy of his example. Before his face all shadows flee and 
gleaming peace follows his footsteps from home to home. He 
stands forth, heralding Christ. His way of life is proof posi- 
tive that Christ is God; he is the guard and glory of Christ's 
Church; the magnet irresistibly attracting souls to the altars 
of the Almighty. 

16—19: 

The ideals of St. Ignatius remain the ideals of his followers. 
Ever eager to emulate his achievements they reared in Wash- 
ington, our Capital city, a college for her youth, and they 
pledged their scholars in fealty to Christ; vowing away their 



372 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

own lives in the endeavor to engrave on the young hearts en- 
trusted to them, the unfading image of Christ. They had 
learned from their founder the secret of success. When they 
had curbed their own natures, they were to plunder the past 
of its literary wealth, prudently rejecting all coinage that by 
rust or tarnish could soil a boy's clean heart. Year in, year 
out, the College doors were opened wide and young men flocked 
within endeavoring to hear great truths. Year in, year out, 
devoted teachers followed the footsteps of the Great Master. 

20—25: 

Ah, fond Mother, to your arms your children ran for com- 
fort, came as a trust committed to your care and sought from 
you the guardianship that would bear them safe from childhood 
homes to the Kingdom of God. How well you kept your 
trust! Under your leadership, their ambition is boundless. 
After you they soar, till, puffed by boyish eagerness, they fly 
too far, and you turn their fledgeling wings to moderate heights. 
Then, alas, you have the sluggard who loathes his task. Gently 
you must correct him, speed his lagging footsteps and arouse 
his unawakened interest, for once interested, he will be quick 
to toil. How eager they all must be to retread the ways 
triumphant Caesar trod on his return from conquests on the 
World's farthest-flung fields, when all Rome welcomed with 
acclaim her chief est hero! How their eyes will glisten to see 
once more Great Troy — her defenders battling bitterly her 
besieging host ! The heart of the boy looks out on old warriors 
and old civilizations and in his dreams, he grows to hero-pro- 
portions, becomes a "child of destiny." Greece, Rome gladly 
make him their own. He prides himself on his new- won re- 
nown and unfolds a brilliantly new page of history. 

26—27: 

As the worthy heir of all antiquity, he enjoys to the full his 
valued heritage; the arts, the sciences and all the beauty of 
ancient lore. In him the past is reborn. He fights his battles, 
a bold Achilles; he has Horace's smile and wit; Cicero-like he 
thunders down, all opposition; with Aeneas he rescues his 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 373 

father from the sack of doomed Troy ; he speaks with the grace 
and distinction of old Pericles. 

28—30: 

The heart of the boy is the heart of the country; they are 
what they love; if the boy's soul is dedicated to Christ, the 
whole country is holy in the sight of God. Loyola blazed the 
path that must ever entice youth's wavering hearts straight to 
the Heart of Christ. The beloved race that bears Gonzaga's 
name is proud of the record that proves its lasting love of God. 
Where Loyola sensed growing desire in the hearts of his sons, he 
knew how to magnify desire to enthusiasm, and so sanctify 
his followers for the ministry of Christ that they in turn would 
inspire others. 

31—33: 

The Apostolate of example bears its fruit in the midst of 
trials and on the summits of success. The companion of 
Christ, like the early martyrs, wins his pupils' ardent following 
even to the Cross for in his footsteps they proudly find their 
way. Their ever-faithful Mother, burdened with the poverty 
and sacrifices of years untold, suddenly finds herself enriched 
lavishly by the fond affection of her scholar-children, enriched 
by the devotion of her teachers and leaders. Stout hearts were 
the hearts of old and valiant spirits still conquer for her, proud 
sons of Gonzaga, whose watchword "loyalty" keeps them ever 
mindful of their pledge. 

34—37 : 

Kohlmann, zealous patriot and priest, was the first Rector 
of this college. He was later called to Rome and became the 
teacher of Leo XIII, the future Pontiff. And among other 
prominent professors, one stands out as pre-eminently gifted— 
our beloved master, Lynch. Were I to fail in mentioning his 
name, I should be guilty of sin. For who can number the 
countless hours, nay years, that he so freely sacrificed to our 
classes? Thirty glorious years of service, this marvelous 
moulder of men dedicated to Gonzaga. Again there looms up 
another, a giant who reveled in mighty deeds and erected new 



374 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

buildings. To him their second founder, the entire college, 

old and new, extend merited gratitude. 

38-44 

In the Ignatian schools, deep-rooted is the lesson that it is 
noble to struggle, and, if needs be, to die for one's country. 
Here, fervent youth traces, under the master's guidance, the 
map of coming warfare. The schools of Ignatius are the camps 
of God. They send their boys to battle. From college portals 
they march forth, soldiers of Christ, trained for distinguished 
service in His army. Wherever battlefields are crimsoned by 
the hallowed blood of warriors, Ignatian-formed troops are 
found volunteering for perilous service or laughing in the face 
of death. Their seal is the Cross. The strength of their 
vigorous bodies has its service in the Cross. Their protection, 
their ideals, their purpose, their badge of honor — all come from 
the Cross. The commands, the simplest wishes of Christ 
form the guiding principle of their eager spirits. They tramp 
under the erect standard of the Cross, young Crusaders, who 
shine like jewels in the Church's crown of glory. They are 
true to their traditions. The goal in their uphill struggle is 
Christ Himself. Aloysius in Heaven captains their forces: 
— for he, the first born of noble lineage offered himself to us as 
Patron. He entrusted to us, his cherished company, his own 
reputation. Oh, my brothers and comrades, let us preserve 
it faithfully, unspotted and unstained. 
45—48: 

Mother Gonzaga, we thy children surround thee; we are all 
here, old and young; back from the fields of life with our meager 
harvestings, we gather to rehearse thy proud history. Thy 
doors, opened for our homecoming, are the awaiting arms of a 
loving mother, who greets us smilingly with "Welcome, my 
children, my riches, my heart's love"! Why do we falter? 
Successful and unsuccessful, we pause here in hesitation — each 
one conscious that his debt to thee is still unpaid. Thou gavest 
thyself and thy all to us. We, in turn, surrender everything 
of ours, Mother to thee. Our all is insignificant, a worthless 
offering. Let it be so! Thy love welcomes it, ennobles it, 
encases it in gold . 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 375 

49—51 : 

Thou hast taught us to seek Christ down every lane of life, 
to be trusted members of His flock, to fight with whole-souled 
energy for our Master and Shepherd. Thou hast taught us 
obedience to the laws of the land, to look ever for the Common 
Good, to shield from every insult the Star-Spangled Banner, 
to strive that, wherever our flag opened to the breeze, suppres- 
sion might cease and freedom hold full sway; that justice and 
benignity should obliterate all stains of war. 

52—54: 

Ah, dear Mother, thy children past and present renew their 
fealty to thee, and earnestly beseech Almighty God to enrich 
thee with His holy paternal love, to give thee prosperity and 
new fields of conquest, bless thee with heavenly resources, 
guard thee beneath His mantle of protection. May He sur- 
round thee with sons who are loyal! May He look with eyes 
of love on thee and thy children! And may Loyola recognize 
us as his own chosen followers, when Gonzaga, glorying in 
jubilee, exclaims "Father, these sons of Washington, are thy 
sons also, the princely brotherhood of Aloysius." 

GREEK ODE 

(Original and Translation by Father Becker, S. J.) 

ElS TT]P 'Hjutoi/ 

Ai5aaKa\6u re Kai Mt]Tepa 

MeXos TevedXtov. 

Trifiepop iraieiv \Q6va XPV lik\aivav, 
vvv err] firjTrjp enaTov irepalveL, 
-kotvmxv tLs 8i] rpotpbv ov 9e\r]<T€L 

p.rjTep 1 aeL8eiv\ 

M-qrpos av iravres aXeos e/creXetre 
rip,epa tolvtti fxeya Kai tpaeivov, 
8evT€ 8ri dvfxw xpoippoves t a8e\<poi, 
8evre t kraipoL. 



376 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

'Es Sopovs aXKoL KopiaatuTO xP Vff ov 
aoirtTov , ttXovtov Trap' a\6s KtXevda 
vrjes (hueicu ipoper}cn vqauv 

777X6$' tovuwv' 

'AXXd prjp 6\(3os ipdivvOti, papavdeh 
oi/cercu 7t\ovtos xpovios, rekos 5e 
V7]\er)s e\6<jju davaros (3poToi(TL 

kv8os apavpoi. 

Aupecov iraawv ootpla Kpaiiarr]' 
u> Beds vovv yap ovvtaiv t bira^ei 
ojs Trrepois opvis TrkrtTai 7' ewapdels 
ippovTlbos avpa. 

Ol>K €TVlOT7)pUV pOVOV CL^LOVVTaL, 

pel£ovas yap tovs ayadovs naXovpev, 
/xTjrpos ovv <jtp.vr]s x^P'S elalv ael 

adtxppoves viol. 

Mrjrep r)pibu, crr)v apeTr)v kiraLVtiv 
tvatfieis iratdes deXopev, dtos 6e 
ovpavov 5oir] irore ivacnv r)piv 

dup-ar' intodaL. 

Today with dance and song we tread the ground when our 
mother rounds the cycle of her hundred years. Who would 
not sing her praise, our nurse revered, our mother dear? 

Let all fill high the mother's cup of praise, her broad renown 
and lustrous fame to-day. Together all, my brothers, together, 
comrades, loyal sons! 

Others may hoard uncounted gold within their palace walls. 
Over the ocean paths swift ships may bring to others wealth 
from isles afar; 

But the world's bliss wanes, riches age-old must wither, at 
the last grim death comes and blights our mortal fame. 

Wisdom is greatest of the gifts of the time. He, on whom 
God bestows mind and understanding, wings his flight— like 
a bird on nimble pinions — upborne to realms of thought. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 377 

But not the subtle mind is honored most. . Better we judge 
men of virtuous lives. A mother's fairest crown are goodly 
sons. 

Oh, mother beloved, we thy children, in filial duty bound, 
proclaim thy worth. May God grant to us all to mount unto 
heaven's mansions, whither thou dost lead. 



"A CENTURY SONG FOR GONZAGA" 

(Written for the Centennial by the Rev. Francis P. Donnelly, 
Rector of Gonzaga College, 1915-1916) 

We pause at the close of a wearying day 

And rest from the strife in the twilight's calm grey, 

And gladly we sing, o'er the spoils of the fray, 

A century song for Gonzaga. 
Up, up for the dawn of a promising sun 

That brings brighter days to Gonzaga, 
When we too shall win, as our fathers have won, 

A hundred more frays for Gonzaga. 

Above us the autumn is tingeing its leaves; 

Our barns are replete from the floor to the eaves; 

We reapers are singing for harvested sheaves, 

A century song for Gonzaga. 
Out, out with the plow to the unbroken fields; 

A new spring appears for Gonzaga; 
And sow, with full hands for the richest of yields, 

A hundred more years for Gonzaga. 

Now out from the past winding proudly along 

We vision her sons as in throng upon throng 

Far upward they mount chanting loudly their song, 

A century song for Gonzaga. 
And higher, still higher the road beckons on 

To star-realms of light for Gonzaga ; 
And we must be peers of the best who are gone, 

And hold heaven's height with Gonzaga. 



378 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

It is much to be regretted that we have no steno- 
graphic report of Mr. Cockran's oration. Those 
that were present were treated to a splendid dis- 
course on present day evils in the world at large and 
the one great remedy, education — Catholic educa- 
tion at that. Mr. Cockran was truly eloquent in 
his denunciation of the sham reformers and sham 
reforms that are cropping up everywhere with each 
dawn of a new day. With invincible argument and 
in eloquent tones he showed the futility of all meas- 
ures proposed that ignore the fundamental and 
practical ideas of God and religion. Mr. Cockran's 
speech was marked by copious and powerful illus- 
trations from history and was listened to with the 
closest attention. After paying a graceful tribute 
to Catholic educators in general and the Jesuit sys- 
tem in particular, Mr. Cockran closed with a 
striking peroration, visioning the day when through 
the powerful instrument of education of the right 
kind, peace and harmony should unite all men in 
Christ the Lord. 



Greetings and congratulations to Gonzaga College from 
Georgetown University: 

RECTOR 

DOCTORES ET ALUMNI UNIVERSITATIS 

GEORGIOPOLITANAE 

ORDINI SODALIUM 

COLLEGII GONZAGENSIS 

S. IN DNO. P. D. D. 



Quamquam inter omnes qui se per orbem terrarum literis 
atque humanitati dederunt extitit vinculum quoddam commune 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 379 

atque singulare quo idem sentiunt, idem gestiunt, tamen 
Universitas Georgiopolitana et Collegium Gonzagense plurimas 
ob rationes quam maxime devinciuntur. Diuturnitate enim 
temporis et loci propinquitate quibus sodales ejusdem Societatis 
Jesu et comites hac regione orbis terrarum vexilla regis nostri 
junctis manibus extollere haud frustra conati sumus, studiorum 
praeterea ratione ilia praeclarissima et nobis communi quae per 
saecula roborata in dies magis magisque approbatur atque 
ubique aemulatur, consuetudine denique ilia qua alumnos vestros 
in sinu nostrae univeritatis guadentes recipere usi sumus ut 
matribus gloriam duabus sat amplam profecto reportarent 
novum quidem vinculum atque solid issimum constitutum et 
perfectum est, quo hocce fausto die impellimur laudes vestras 
et nostrum gaudium imprimis amplificare et commemorare. 
Quis est enim qui mutabilitate rerum omnium mundanarum 
leviter quidem perpensa qua annorum series et fuga temporum 
monumenta manibus hominum exstructa tarn facillime diruere 
possit cum vestro Collegio maxime non congaudeat quod per 
centum annos per vicesimam quidem partem totius aetatis 
Christianae superstes floruit ? Ac si cuiquam vix obscurum est 
quam splendide lumen laborum vestrorum illuxerit turn in 
operibus sat plurium alumnorum vestrorum turn praesertim 
miro quidem modo vita eorum quos a cunabulis fere vestrum 
Collegium erudierit ut sodales ipsius Societatis Jesu plurimis 
in agris semen quod est verbum Dei sermone scriptisque dis- 
seminarent nutrirentque haud minus clarum est quomodo 
nomini illi Seminario Washington ien si quod primum vestrum 
erat veritatem realitatemque etiam mutato nomine usque 
reddideris. Et si haec sunt fundamina gloriae vestrae quae 
alia precor sunt solidiora, quae alia majori laude digna! Sed 
pace tua sunt alia quidem majora. Hisce enim diebus oculi 
omnium nationum in hanc urbem Washingtoniensem vertuntur, 
in earn premuntur gressus populorum : jam veniet nova aetas : 
jam incipit nova urbs: et in ilia nova aetate et in ilia nova 
urbe Washingtoniensi Collegium Gonzagense vigeat, crescat, 
floreat ! 

Dabamus Washingtonii a. d. XVI Kal. Dec. MCMXXI 

Joannes B. Creeden, Rector. 



380 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17 

Mass of Requiem for Deceased Alumni at 9.00 A.M. 
Celebrant Rev. William J. Tynan, S. J. 



Centennial Banquet, 8.00 P.M. 

Under the Auspices of the Gonzaga College Alumni 
Association 

Wardman Park Hotel 

Toastmaster Mr. Walter I. Plant, '99 

"The Centenary of Gonzaga" Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S.J. 

"The Ideal Jurist" Justice Wendell Phillips Stafford 

"The Knight Without Fear and Without Reproach" 

Jas. A. Flaherty, Esq. 

'The Catholic Statesman" Hon. Charles F. X. O'Brien 

'Alma Mater" Hon. Martin Conboy, '94 

Officers of the Alumni Association 

Rev. J. Charles Davey, S. J Moderator 

Mr. Walter I. Plant, '99 President 

Mr. J. Eugene Gallery, '15 Vice-President 

Mr. Clarence F. Donohoe, '93 Treasurer 

Mr. Charles J. Considine, '14 Secretary 

Chairman of Banquet Committee, Mr. J. Eugene Gallery, '15 

Guests 

Senator William M. Calder Justice Charles H. Robb 

Hon. W. Bourke Cockran Justice Jennings Bailey 

Hon. Charles F. X. O'Brien Justice Frederick L. Siddons 

Hon. James O'Connor Justice Wendell Phillips Stafford 

Admiral William S. Benson Hon. Harry J. Boland 
Chief Justice Constantine J. Smyth Hon. James A. Flaherty 
Justice Josiah A. Van Orsdell 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 



383 



Rev. Timothy B. Barrett, S. J. 
Rev. Edward S. Brock, S. J. 
Rev. William J. Brooks, S. J. 
Rev. Francis X. Cavanagh 
Rev. Vincent G. Cleary, O. P. 
Rev. Paul R. Conniff, S. J. 
Rev. George L. Coyle, S. J. 
Rev. John B. Creeden, S. J. 
Rev. John A. Curren 
Rev. J. Charles Davey, S. J. 
Rev. Joseph N. Dinand, S. J, 
Rev. Augustus J. Duarte, S. J. 
Bro. Denis Edward 
Rev. John J. Fleming, S. J. 
Rev. Eugene A. Hannan 
Rev. Owen A. Hill, S. J. 
Mr. Edward J. Kenna, S. J. 
Mr. Robert S. Lloyd, S. J. 

Glenn W. Ashley 

Eugene B. Auldridge 

Robert A. Bacon 

George S. Becker 

Leo J. Bittner 

William A. Blake 

Francis G. Boswell 

A. A. Bower 

John Boyle 

Edward L. Brady 

J. Chester Brady, M. D. 

Aloysius J. Brooks 

John H. Browning 

William F. Buckley 

J. Wise Byrnes 

James B. Cahill 

Thomas A. Cantwell 

Maj. John D. Carmody, U. S. A. 

John J. Carmody 

Joseph R. Castell 

James W. Cavey 

William L. Chamberlin 

Cyril G. Clark 

Francis J. P. Cleary 

Owen J. Cleary 

James E. Colliflower 

Francis J. Collins 



Rev. Charles W. Lyons, S. J. 
Rev. Eugene DeL. McDonnell, S. J. 
Rev. John P. Meagher, S. J. 
Rev. John F. X. Murphy, S. J. 
Rev. George B. Neitzey, O. P. 
Rev. W. Coleman Nevils, S. J. 
Rev. James J. O'Connor 
Rev. John O'Grady, D. D. 
Rev. Joseph P. O'Reilly, S. J. 
Rev. David J. Roche, S. J. 
Mr. Robert L. Ryan, S. J. 
Rev. Albert E. Smith 
Mr. Robert T. Smith, S. J. 
Rev. Edward P. Spillane, S. J. 
Rev. Edward J. Sweeney, S. J. 
Rev. Richard H. Tierney, S. J. 
Mr. John F. Treubig, S. J. 
Rev. William J. Tynan, S. J. 

Francis A. Connolly 

J. Edward Connolly 

Charles J. Considine 

P. Michael Cook 

Owen B. Corrigan 

Louis Costagini 

J. Fendall Coughlan 

Paul M. Coughlan 

George B. Cowles 

J. Raymond Daly 

Lt. Col. C. H. Danforth, U. S. A. 

John J. Darby 

Charles W. Darr 

William H. DeLacy 

William M. Deviny 

Thomas Dolan 

Clarence F. Donoghue 

Harry F. Donoghue 

John F. Donoghue, D. D. S. 

Clarence F. Donohoe 

Edward P. Donovan 

Thomas J. Donovan 

Frank A. Dougherty 

Rossa F. Downing 

Francis A. Duffy 

James A. Duffy 

Leslie J. Duffy 



38 4 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 



William J. Duncan 
Martin Dyer 
C. Louis Eckloff 
Joseph P. Enright 
Allen G. Evans 
Joseph J. Fahey 
Charles Fahy 
John J. Fainter 
Aloysius J. Fealy 
Martin S. Fealy 
Charles L. Ferry 
J. Frank Ferry 
T. Francis Ferry 
Edmund A. Fitzgerald 
John E. Fitzgerald 
Joseph B. Fitzgerald 
Leo J. Fitzgerald 
Thomas H. Fitzgerald 
Carlisle Floeckher 
Charles W. Floeckher 
Thomas A. Flynn 
Leo J. Fogarty 
John J. Foley 
Robert J. Folliard 
Thomas B. Folliard 
Raymond Forney 
George R. Frank 
William J. Frizzell 
John J. Fuller, Jr. 
J. Eugene Gallery 
William J. Gallery 
George A. Garner 
Bernard F. Garvey 
Aloysius T. Genau 
Clarence R. Gorman 
Charles I. Griffith, M. D. 
Harry T. Hall 
George E. Hamilton 
Edward R. Hannan 
Simeon E. Harris 
Thomas Harvey 
Edward B. Hayes 
J. Carroll Hayes 
Henry A. Hegarty 
Andrew I. Hickey 
Cecil F. Hilleary 
Joseph L. Holland 



Edward B. Horen, D. D. S. 
William J. Hughes 
Francis T. Hurley 
Bennett S. Jones 
Francis de S. Kavanagh 
Leo I. Kavanagh 
Maurice J. Keane 
Edward Keeley 
Edward Kelly 
W. P. Kenealy, M. D. 
J. Joseph Kennelly 
James J. Kilroy, M. D. 
James J. Kilroy, Jr. 
William J. Kinsella, 
Albert H. Kirchner 
William J. Koerth 
Carl A. Krogmann 
Clement B. Krogmann 
Rudolph F. Krogmann 
Joseph B. Lanahan, Jr. 
Norman B. Landreau 
Thomas A. Lane 
Thomas J. Lane, Sr. 
Thomas J. Lane, Jr. 
William D. Lawlor 
Thomas S. Lee, M. D. 
Cletus D. Lesher 
Preston A. Littleton 
Thomas J. MacKavanagh 
John McCabe 
John J. McCarthy 
Joseph J. McCarthy, M. D. 
Joseph M. McCarthy 
Andrew McGarraghy 
Wm. J. McGuire 
George A. McLaughlin 
John McLaughlin 
Francis A. McNamee 
Adam E. Maier 
Edmond Mallet 
Michael F. Mangan 
James F. Markey 
William C. Martin 
Albert L. Maserick 
Charles M. Mattingly 
Albert May 
John Mawhinney 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 



385 



Paul G. Meagher 

George Menke 

Leon V. Michalowicz 

Lawrence J. Mills, Jr. 

Thomas M. Monroe 

William J. Moran 

Paul T. Mudd 

Richard D. Mudd 

Daniel D. Mulcahy, M. D. 

Joseph F. Mullaly 

Henry A. Mullan 

J. V. Mulligan 

David I. Mulquin 

James A. Mulquin 

Daniel F. Murphy 

Daniel J. Murphy 

John P. Murray 

Augustine W. Neale, Jr. 

Joseph H. Neitzey 

Frank L. Neubeck 

Joseph A. Nolan 

William P. Normoyle 

Ralph A. Norton 

Charles F. O'Connor 

George E. O'Connor 

George H. O'Connor 

Maurice W. O'Connor 

W. P. O'Connor 

John P. O'Dea 

James A. O'Leary 

Robert M. O'Lone 

Francis P. O'Reilly 

Raymond F. Osborne, M. D. 

Charles T. Peck, Jr. 

Joseph A. Petty 

Walter I. Plant 

James D. Power 

Maurice P. Power 

Thomas E. Pyne 

Francis S. Quay 

John P. Quill 

Henry I. Quinn 

Charles J. Reagan 

Joseph Reagan 

L. Grogan Renz 

George R. Repetti 

T. Eugene Rhodes, Jr. 



Frederick J. Rice 
James Ring 
David I. Riordan 
Frank D. Roach 
James P. Ryder 
Francis J. Salb 
Amabile Samuels 
Daniel X. Scanlan 
Edward Schlesinger 
Edward P. Schwartz 
Cornelius E. Shea 
D. C. Shea 
Thomas J. Shea 
Thomas J. A. Shea, Jr. 
W. H. Shea 
Joseph F. Sheehan 
Francis P. Sheehy 
Aloysius L. Shields 
George A. Simpson 
Leo E. L. Smith 
Thomas F. Smith 
William L. Soleau 
I. L. Stormont 
Paul N. Taylor 
H. G. Thysson, Jr. 
William J. Tobin 
Leon Tobriner 
Edward L. Tucker 
Paul W. Twombly 
Edward Voigt 
Edward J. Walsh 
Frank P. Walsh 
J. Burke Walsh 
J. Herbert Walsh 
Leo A. Walshe 
P. J. Walshe 
Edward R. Walton, Jr. 
Edmond D. Welch, M. D. 
Hugh J. Welch 
Francis R. Weller 
Joseph M. Wheatley 
L. A. Widmayer 
Michael Williams 
Leonard C. Wilson 
Robert W. Wimsatt 
Michael Winston 
Edward H. Yeager 



386 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

We feel that we cannot close this brief account of 
the Centennial Celebration better than by printing 
the following graceful tribute from the pen of our dis- 
tinguished Alumnus, Hon. Wendell Phillips Stafford, 
as well as the inspiring and benign letter of the Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the Jesuit forces throughout the 
world, Very Reverend Wlodimirus Ledochowski, and 
the treasured words of Christ's Vicar, the best of all 
the good things received by Gonzaga in her wonderful 
Centenary. 

Gonzagaeo Gratias, 1921 

I had not seen her till she threw 

Her great door open wide, 
Crowned me with roses, and then drew 

Me gently to her side. 

She said: "It is my birthday, dear: 

Come keep the feast with me ! 
Many you love are gathered here, 

Noble and bright and free. 

And, now you are my son, your name 

Upon my shield I write, 
And you must keep a spotless fame, 

For, look! the shield is white. 

And when our Leader says, 'Arise!' 

Your feet must follow Him : 
Behold the hue of sacrifice, 

The purple round the rim!" 

Proudly she smiled and took her seat, 

And I was proud to stay 
And hear the chorals throng and beat 

Around her throne that Day. 

Queen upon your golden chair, 

O Mother kind and true, 
The poor meed of a sinner's prayer 

Must be my thanks to you. 

— Wendell Phillips Stafford. 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 387 

Letter from His Paternity, The Very Reverend 
Father General of the Society of Jesus : 

Rome, October 18, 1921. 

Rev. and Dear Father Rector, P. Ch. 

With great pleasure do I join in spirit in the centennial 
festivities of Gonzaga College. It is undoubtedly an excep- 
tional event. The retrospect of the first hundred years of the 
College not only affords a peculiar interest to all well-wishers, 
but ought also be specially profitable for present and future 
endeavours. The life history of the College goes back to the 
pioneer days of Catholic education in the United States. 
Pioneer effort in a great cause is always important and arduous, 
and to succeed must be inspired and sustained by wisdom, 
prudence and courage. Fortunately Gonzaga College at its 
very foundation, with its first President, Rev. Anthony Kohl- 
mann, as a brilliant example, had men to guide its destinies who 
drew this inspiration from the principles and traditions of the 
old Society with which some were directly or indirectly so closely 
connected. This accounts for the fine quality and the solidity 
of studies inaugurated, the high standard maintained and the 
wholesome influence for virtue and learning it exercised in the 
community at large. Gonzaga College was begun and main- 
tained as a classical institution and kept vigorous by that 
religious spirit so characteristic of the colleges of the Society. 

Difficulties there were and vicissitudes of fortune but it 
surmounted them bravely, so that we see it to-day flourishing 
with renewed efficiency and strengthened influence. All this 
is cause for congratulation, and especially for fervent thanks 
to Almighty God who has been pleased to vouchsafe His 
favors so plenteously. 

Whilst sending you my cordial blessing I invoke God's 
continued protection on Gonzaga College, its faculty, students, 
friends and benefactors. 

Commending myself to your holy Sacrifices and prayers. 
Servus in Xto. 

(Signed) W. Ledochowski, S. J. 



388 HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 

Greetings from His Holiness, Benedict XV 

The Vatican, October 23, 1921. 
Secretariate of State of His Holiness. 

No. B-26813. 
Very Rev. Father: 

It has been brought to the notice of the Holy Father that 
this year 1921 completes a century since the well deserving 
sons of St. Ignatius founded Gonzaga College in the Capital 
of the United States, and that a solemn celebration is being 
fittingly prepared to commemorate this happy anniversary. 

The news of such an event could not but be most welcome to 
the August Pontiff, Who has so much at heart the Christian 
education and formation of youth in whom rests the hope of 
future society. 

The Holy Father assuredly well realizes with what zeal, with 
what wisdom and with what salutary fruit the sons of Loyola 
devote themselves to the instruction and education of the 
Catholic youth of Washington, thus contributing to hold high 
the prestige of Catholic teaching, which is the conserver of all 
true progress, religious, moral, and scientific, and the indis- 
pensable element of true civilization and prosperity among the 
people. 

The August Pontiff deeply rejoices with your Reverence and 
with the members of this timely and flourishing Institution, 
rendering devout thanks to God and to the well deserving sons 
of St. Ignatius for the great good done in the course of this first 
century since its foundation. 

With all his heart, therefore, the Holy Father joins in spirit 
in the festive occasion which will unite Superiors, professors, 
students and benefactors of the College, in order to recall the 
glorious past and to draw from it motive and inspiration so that 
this happy anniversary may presage for the noble Institution 
a future ever increasing in prosperity and in salutary efficacy 
for Church and for society. 

And it is with this augury that His Holiness, while He in- 
vokes upon it an abundance of divine favors, in anticipation of 
the same and in testimony of His paternal benevolence, be- 
stows from His heart upon your Reverence, and upon the 



HISTORY OF GONZAGA COLLEGE 389 

professors, students ar>d benefactors of Gonzaga College the 
Apostolic Benediction. 

In acting as an interpreter of these sentiments of the Holy 
Father, I gladly take occasion to assure you of my feelings of 
sincere and profound esteem. 
I am, dear Father, 

Mostaffectionately yours in the Lord, 

P. Card. Gasparri. 
Very Rev. Fr. Paul R. Conniff, S. J. 

President of Gonzaga College, Washington, D. C. 



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